# US 10,374,713 B1 · Satellite system with networked gateways > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,374,713 B1 - Document ID: US10374713B1 - Status: Granted - Kind: B1 - Application number: 15/672,211 - Filed: 2017-08-08 - Granted: 2019-08-06 - Earliest claimed: 2017-06-21 - Applicants: Blue Digs LLC - Inventors: James Scott; Scott Sullivan; Brian Grubel - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10374713B1 ## CPC - H04B 10/25755: {Ring network topology} - H04W 88/16: Gateway arrangements - H04J 14/0204: {Broadcast and select arrangements, e.g. with an optical splitter at the input before adding or dropping} - H04J 14/0205: {Select and combine arrangements, e.g. with an optical combiner at the output after adding or dropping} - H04J 14/0215: {Architecture aspects} - H04B: TRANSMISSION - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) - H04J: MULTIPLEX COMMUNICATION (transmission in general H04B; peculiar to transmission of digital information H04L5/00; systems for the simultaneous or sequential transmission of more than one television signal H04N7/08; in exchanges H04Q11/00; stereophonic systems H04S) ## Abstract A satellite system may have a constellation of communications satellites that provides services to users with electronic devices such as portable electronic devices and home/office equipment. The satellites may support communications between the electronic devices of the users and gateways. Each gateway may have satellite transceiver circuitry that transmits and receives satellite signals. Each gateway may also have an optical add-drop multiplexer coupled to a fiber ring and radio-frequency-over-fiber circuitry coupled between the satellite transceiver circuitry and the optical add-drop multiplexer. A metropolitan point-of-presence may be in communication with the fiber ring and may have modems for centrally processing communications (received and transmitted in an intermediate frequency) in the satellite system. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system operable with satellites that support satellite communications with user equipment, comprising: gateways configured to communicate with the satellites using radio-frequency signals; a metropolitan point of presence that includes modems that are configured to communicate with the user equipment; and optical fiber configured to carry radio-frequency-over-fiber signals between the gateways and the modems. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system defined in claim 1 wherein each gateway comprises: a satellite antenna; and satellite transceiver circuitry that is coupled to the satellite antenna and that is configured to transmit and receive Ka-band satellite signals with the satellite antenna. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The system defined in claim 1 wherein each gateway comprises: a satellite antenna; satellite transceiver circuitry that is coupled to the satellite antenna and that is configured to transmit and receive V-band satellite signals with the satellite antenna. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The system defined in claim 1 wherein each gateway comprises: a satellite antenna; a satellite transceiver configured to use the satellite antenna to transmit and receive satellite signals; an optical add-drop multiplexer coupled to the optical fiber; and a radio-frequency-over-fiber circuit that is configured to transmit received satellite signals from the satellite transceiver to the metropolitan point of presence over the optical fiber using the optical add-drop multiplexer. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The system defined in claim 4 wherein the optical add-drop multiplexer is configure to handle at least 200 different wavelengths of light each associated with a different wavelength division multiplexing channel. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The system defined in claim 5 wherein the satellite transceiver at each gateway comprises a Ka-band satellite transceiver and wherein that gateway does not have any modems. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The system defined in claim 5 wherein the satellite transceiver at each gateway comprises a V-band satellite transceiver and wherein that gateway does not have any modems. ### Claim 8 (depends on 5) The system defined in claim 5 wherein the optical fiber is configured in a ring. ### Claim 9 (depends on 5) The system defined in claim 5 wherein the metropolitan point of presence comprises a router coupled to the modems. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The system defined in claim 9 further comprising an additional point of presence that is coupled to the router through a network. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The system defined in claim 1, wherein at least one of the gateways comprises: a satellite antenna; a satellite transceiver configured to use the satellite antenna to transmit and receive satellite signals; an optical add-drop multiplexer coupled to the optical fiber; and a radio-frequency-over-fiber circuit that is configured to transmit, over the optical fiber, satellite signals received by the satellite transceiver to the metropolitan point of presence using the optical add-drop multiplexer. ### Claim 12 A system operable with satellites that support satellite communications with user equipment, comprising: gateways configured to communicate with the satellites over V-band satellite communications links; a metropolitan point of presence including modems that are configured to handle communications with the user equipment through the gateways; and an optical fiber ring configured to carry radio-frequency-over-fiber signals between the gateways and the modems. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The system defined in claim 12 wherein each gateway comprises: a satellite antenna; a satellite transceiver configured to use the satellite antenna to transmit and receive satellite signals; an optical add-drop multiplexer coupled to the optical fiber ring; and a radio-frequency-over-fiber circuit that is configured to transmit received satellite signals from the satellite transceiver to the metropolitan point of presence over the optical fiber ring using the optical add-drop multiplexer. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The system defined in claim 13 wherein the metropolitan point of presence includes an optical add-drop multiplexer that is coupled to the optical fiber and that is configured to handle at least 100 different wavelengths of light each associated with a different wavelength division multiplexing channel. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The system defined in claim 14 wherein the metropolitan point of presence comprises a router coupled to the modems. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The system defined in claim 15 further comprising an additional metropolitan point of presence that is coupled to the router through a network. ### Claim 17 A system operable with satellites that support satellite communications with user equipment, comprising: gateways configured to communicate with the satellites over Ka-band satellite communications links; a metropolitan point of presence including modems that are configured to handle communications with the user equipment through the gateways; and an optical fiber ring configured to carry radio-frequency-over-fiber signals between the gateways and the modems. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The system defined in claim 17 wherein each gateway comprises: a satellite antenna; a satellite transceiver configured to use the satellite antenna to transmit and receive satellite signals; an optical add-drop multiplexer coupled to the optical fiber ring; and a radio-frequency-over-fiber circuit that is configured to transmit received satellite signals from the satellite transceiver to the metropolitan point of presence over the optical fiber ring using the optical add-drop multiplexer. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The system defined in claim 17 wherein the metropolitan point of presence includes an optical add-drop multiplexer that is coupled to the optical fiber ring and that is configured to handle at least 200 different wavelengths of light each associated with a different wavelength division multiplexing channel. ### Claim 20 (depends on 17) The system defined in claim 17 wherein the metropolitan point of presence comprises a router coupled to the modems and wherein the router is configured to receive internet content from servers and to provide the internet content to the modems. ### Claim 21 (depends on 17) The system defined in claim 17 further comprising an additional metropolitan point of presence that is coupled to the router through a network.