Patents by Inventor Steven E. McMeekin

Steven E. McMeekin 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: 10149263
    Abstract: A method for operating a receiver in a wireless communication system to synchronize the receiver to a received signal. The received signal is preamble correlated to identify a preamble portion of the signal. Portions of the received signal near the identified preamble portion are processed to determine signal-distorting channel characteristics, such as multipath channel delay spread, of the channel over which the received signal propagated. A digital filter is configured based on the determined channel characteristics to compensate for the signal-distorting channel characteristics, and the received signal is filtered with the configured digital filter. The filtered received signal is second preamble correlated with a second preamble that is different than the first preamble to produce a second preamble correlation. The second preamble correlation is processed to identify delay in the filtered received signal. Portions of the filtered received signal are identified and processed based on the identified delay.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2018
    Assignee: FreeWave Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Steven E. McMeekin, Timothy G. Mester
  • Patent number: 10033511
    Abstract: A method for operating at least a first of a plurality of co-located, non-time synchronous radios at a first location communicating data by frames with one or more other remote radios at a second and optionally additional locations in a wireless communication system, to synchronize first or uplink and/or second or downlink frame portions of the frames to mitigate interference between the co-located radios. A frame table of attributes of uplink and/or downlink frame portions associated with frames of the first radio is stored. The spectral content of transmissions from at least a second of the co-located radios is monitored. Based on the monitored spectral content, characteristics for uplink and/or downlink frame portions of the first co-located radio to mitigate interference with the at least second co-located radio are determined. Attributes in the frame table to enable interference-optimized uplink and/or downlink portions of frames of the first co-located radio are updated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2018
    Assignee: FreeWave Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Steven E. McMeekin, Timothy G. Mester, Jeffrey A. Battin, Yan Zhang
  • Patent number: 9819446
    Abstract: A method for operating a downlink transmitter radio to automatically determine transmission parameters includes monitoring the spectral content of a range of frequencies, and identifying, based on the monitored spectral content, spectral characteristics associated with noise or interference. The downlink transmission channel carrier frequency and channel frequency bandwidth are determined based on the spectral characteristics of the interference together with operating requirements of the wireless transmission system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2017
    Assignee: FreeWave Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Steven E. McMeekin, Timothy G. Mester, Gregory J. Veintimilla
  • Patent number: 9787354
    Abstract: A broadband transceiver includes an input to receive an RF signal, an output to output an RF transmit signal, a receiver section coupled to the input, and a transmitter section coupled to the output. A processor coupled to the receiver section and the transmitter section determines and generates an inverse waveform that will result in attenuation of undesired portions of a received RF signal when summed with the received signal, including optionally at one or more of an RF stage and an IF stage. A summing junction coupled between the processor and receiver section sums the inverse waveform with the received signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2017
    Assignee: FreeWave Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Steven E. McMeekin, Timothy G. Mester, Gregory J. Veintimilla
  • Patent number: 9584170
    Abstract: A broadband superheterodyne receiver. Embodiments include an input for receiving an RF signal including an RF data signal at a carrier frequency. An RF mixer coupled to the input shifts the RF data signal from the carrier frequency to an IF frequency. An IF band pass filter coupled to the mixer has a pass band, and band pass filters the signal near the IF frequency. A spectrum analyzer provides information representative of the spectral characteristics of the received RF signal around the RF data signal at the carrier frequency. An IF controller is coupled to the RF mixer and to the spectrum analyzer. The IF controller: (1) determines an interference-mitigating IF frequency within the pass band of the band pass filter that will result in attenuation of undesired portions of the RF signal, and (2) controls the RF mixer to shift the RF data signal to the interference-mitigating IF frequency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2017
    Assignee: FreeWave Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Timothy G. Mester, Steven E. McMeekin, Gregory J. Veintimilla
  • Publication number: 20160127009
    Abstract: A broadband transceiver includes an input to receive an RF signal, an output to output an RF transmit signal, a receiver section coupled to the input, and a transmitter section coupled to the output. A processor coupled to the receiver section and the transmitter section determines and generates an inverse waveform that will result in attenuation of undesired portions of a received RF signal when summed with the received signal, including optionally at one or more of an RF stage and an IF stage. A summing junction coupled between the processor and receiver section sums the inverse waveform with the received signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 27, 2015
    Publication date: May 5, 2016
    Inventors: Steven E. McMeekin, Timothy G. Mester, Gregory J. Veintimilla
  • Publication number: 20160126988
    Abstract: A broadband superheterodyne receiver. Embodiments include an input for receiving an RF signal including an RF data signal at a carrier frequency. An RF mixer coupled to the input shifts the RF data signal from the carrier frequency to an IF frequency. An IF band pass filter coupled to the mixer has a pass band, and band pass filters the signal near the IF frequency. A spectrum analyzer provides information representative of the spectral characteristics of the received RF signal around the RF data signal at the carrier frequency. An IF controller is coupled to the RF mixer and to the spectrum analyzer. The IF controller: (1) determines an interference-mitigating IF frequency within the pass band of the band pass filter that will result in attenuation of undesired portions of the RF signal, and (2) controls the RF mixer to shift the RF data signal to the interference-mitigating IF frequency.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 27, 2015
    Publication date: May 5, 2016
    Inventors: Timothy G. Mester, Steven E. McMeekin, Gregory J. Veintimilla
  • Publication number: 20160127110
    Abstract: A method for operating at least a first of a plurality of co-located, non-time synchronous radios at a first location communicating data by frames with one or more other remote radios at a second and optionally additional locations in a wireless communication system, to synchronize first or uplink and/or second or downlink frame portions of the frames to mitigate interference between the co-located radios. A frame table of attributes of uplink and/or downlink frame portions associated with frames of the first radio is stored. The spectral content of transmissions from at least a second of the co-located radios is monitored. Based on the monitored spectral content, characteristics for uplink and/or downlink frame portions of the first co-located radio to mitigate interference with the at least second co-located radio are determined. Attributes in the frame table to enable interference-optimized uplink and/or downlink portions of frames of the first co-located radio are updated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 27, 2015
    Publication date: May 5, 2016
    Inventors: Steven E. McMeekin, Timothy D. Mester, Jeffrey A. Battin, Yan Zhang
  • Publication number: 20160127953
    Abstract: A method for operating a downlink transmitter radio to automatically determine transmission parameters includes monitoring the spectral content of a range of frequencies, and identifying, based on the monitored spectral content, spectral characteristics associated with noise or interference. The downlink transmission channel carrier frequency and channel frequency bandwidth are determined based on the spectral characteristics of the interference together with operating requirements of the wireless transmission system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 27, 2015
    Publication date: May 5, 2016
    Inventors: Steven E. McMeekin, Timothy G. Mester, Gregory J. Veintimilla
  • Publication number: 20160128010
    Abstract: A method for operating a receiver in a wireless communication system to synchronize the receiver to a received signal. The received signal is preamble correlated to identify a preamble portion of the signal. Portions of the received signal near the identified preamble portion are processed to determine signal-distorting channel characteristics, such as multipath channel delay spread, of the channel over which the received signal propagated. A digital filter is configured based on the determined channel characteristics to compensate for the signal-distorting channel characteristics, and the received signal is filtered with the configured digital filter. The filtered received signal is second preamble correlated with a second preamble that is different than the first preamble to produce a second preamble correlation. The second preamble correlation is processed to identify delay in the filtered received signal. Portions of the filtered received signal are identified and processed based on the identified delay.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 27, 2015
    Publication date: May 5, 2016
    Inventors: Steven E. McMeekin, Timothy G. Mester
  • Patent number: 7095708
    Abstract: A fixed wireless system (FWS) utilizing Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) communication techniques is spectrally efficient and responsive to communications involving both voice and high speed data, such as Internet data. The FWS includes a wireless base unit; a plurality of fixed wireless remote units; a plurality of wireless data traffic channels available between the wireless base unit and the plurality of fixed wireless remote units; and a plurality of wireless voice traffic channels available between the wireless base unit and the plurality of fixed wireless remote units. Each wireless traffic channel is identifiable by a unique combination of frequency and time slots. Each wireless data traffic channel is used for carrying high speed data in addressed data packets to and from the plurality of fixed wireless remote units.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2006
    Assignee: Cingular Wireless II, LLC
    Inventors: Siavash Alamouti, Jeffrey Battin, David B. Gibbons, James Timothy Golden, Michael R. Hirano, Elliott Hoole, Mary Jesse, Robert Lee Maxwell, Steven E. McMeekin, David J. Nix, David James Ryan, Gregory J. Veintimilla, Hongliang Zhang
  • Patent number: 6807147
    Abstract: An orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) communication system includes base units which simultaneously transmit pilot tones in a predetermined pilot tone pattern during one or more time slots of a message slot. OFDM signals are received within a time slot; an OFDM signal level is determined at each frequency of a plurality of pilot tone frequencies; the signal levels and the predetermined pilot tone pattern are correlated; and a pattern detection value based on performing the correlation is generated and stored. This process is repeated for each time slot of a plurality of time slots. This process may be repeated for a plurality of message frame durations to produce a plurality of averaged pattern detection values, following which the plurality of averaged pattern detection values and a predetermined message frame pattern may be correlated. Then, a boundary of a message slot may be detected based on the correlation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2004
    Assignee: AT&T Wireless Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Jari M. Heinonen, Michael R. Hirano, Steven E. McMeekin
  • Patent number: 6768714
    Abstract: A frequency correction process involves the steps of generating a plurality of tone values for a plurality of tone bins, where the plurality of tone bins includes a first set of tone bins assigned to a first frequency range and a second set of tone bins assigned to a second frequency range; performing complex conjugate multiplication between the tone values of the first and the second sets of tone bins; identifying a maximum value from results of the complex conjugate multiplication; and shifting receiver frequency based on a location of the maximum value relative to a predetermined pilot tone location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 27, 2004
    Assignee: AT&T Wireless Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Jari M. Heinonen, Michael R. Hirano, Steven E. McMeekin
  • Patent number: 6700866
    Abstract: An iterative method involves performing a coarse frequency correction process which adjusts receiver frequency so that a pilot tone signal is within a predetermined frequency range and, after performing the coarse frequency correction process, performing a fine frequency correction process which adjusts receiver frequency so that the pilot tone signal is substantially aligned with a pilot tone reference within the predetermined frequency range. By performing these processes, the receiver frequency may be adjusted so that the alias pilot tone signal is substantially aligned with the pilot tone reference and the pilot tone signal is undesirably shifted outside the predetermined frequency range. To eliminate this condition, the method further involves performing the coarse frequency correction process again and, after performing the coarse frequency correction process again, performing the fine frequency correction process again.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2004
    Assignee: AT&T Wireless Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Jari M. Heinonen, Michael R. Hirano, Steven E. McMeekin, Reijo Savola, William H. Warner
  • Patent number: 5872814
    Abstract: An RF communications technique pre-distorts the signal in the baseband prior to its being applied to the RF transmitter, to avoid producing harmonics when the resultant signal is processed by the RF transmitter. Pilot tones are used to test the channels between the base station and a remote station. The technique provides an improved way to minimize the harmonic distortion imposed by RF transmitters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 1997
    Date of Patent: February 16, 1999
    Assignee: AT&T Wireless Services Inc.
    Inventor: Steven E. McMeekin