US 6,650,898 B2Granted

Signal translating repeater for enabling a terrestrial mobile subscriber station to be operable in a non-terrestrial environment

AssigneeAirCell, Inc.

InventorsKenneth J. Jochim, Jerry H. Polson

Life of this patent

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Abstract

The present signal translating repeater is located in an aircraft and provides service to mobile subscriber stations that are located in the aircraft, using the ground-based cellular communication paradigm. The present signal translating repeater converts these ground-based cellular communication signals into signals pursuant to the non-terrestrial cellular telecommunication format and transmits these signals to the non-terrestrial cell site(s) presently serving the aircraft. In this manner, the subscribers in the aircraft can use their existing ground-based mobile subscriber stations in a manner that is consistent with use in communicating with the ground-based cell sites, while the aircraft communicates with the non-terrestrial cell site(s) presently serving the aircraft in a manner that is consistent with non-terrestrial mobile subscriber stations.

Claims22

Dependent claims

Cellular radio communication apparatus, located in an aircraft, operable to provide communication services to ground-based cellular mobile subscriber stations that are located in said aircraft, via a non-terrestrial cellular mobile cellular communications, comprising:

first amplifier means, responsive to receipt of radio frequency communication signals from non-terrestrial cell sites and in a mode compatible with non-terrestrial cellular communications for amplifying said received non-terrestrial cellular signals;
second amplifier means, responsive to receipt of radio frequency communication signals from ground-based cellular mobile subscriber stations and in a mode compatible with ground-based cellular communications, for amplifying said received ground-based cellular signals;
control channel frequency translation means for exchanging control signals from control channels on said received ground-based cellular signals to control channels on non-terrestrial cellular control channels and from control channels on said received non-terrestrial cellular signals to control channels on ground-based cellular control channels;
first transmitter means for transmitting said amplified received non-terrestrial cellular signals and said control signals, exchanged from control channels on said received non-terrestrial cellular signals to control channels on ground-based cellular control channels, to said ground-based cellular mobile subscriber stations that are located in said aircraft;
and
second transmitter means for transmitting said amplified received ground-based cellular signals and said control signals, exchanged from control channels on said received ground-based cellular signals to control channels on non-terrestrial cellular control channels, to said non-terrestrial cell sites.

3 more elements

A method of providing communication services to ground-based cellular mobile subscriber stations that are located in an aircraft, via a non-terrestrial cellular mobile cellular communications, comprising:

amplifying, in response to receipt of radio frequency communication signals from non-terrestrial cell sites and in a mode compatible with non-terrestrial cellular communications, said received non-terrestrial cellular signals;
amplifying, in response to receipt of radio frequency communication signals from ground-based cellular mobile subscriber stations and in a mode compatible with ground-based cellular communications, said received ground-based cellular signals;
exchanging control signals from control channels on said received ground-based cellular signals to control channels on non-terrestrial cellular control channels and from control channels on said received non-terrestrial cellular signals to control channels on ground-based cellular control channels;
transmitting said amplified received non-terrestrial cellular signals and said control signals, exchanged from control channels on said received non-terrestrial cellular signals to control channels on ground-based cellular control channels, to said ground-based cellular mobile subscriber stations that are located in said aircraft;
and
transmitting said amplified received ground-based cellular signals and said control signals, exchanged from control channels on said received ground-based cellular signals to control channels on non-terrestrial cellular control channels, to said non-terrestrial cell sites.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 10/152,870Filed 20 May 2002 · continuation in part
Priority: 6 Mar 1992
Published: US 2002/0197990 A126 Dec 2002
Granted: 18 Nov 2003
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification9 codes

H04B 7/18506
Airborne stations: communications with or from aircraft, i.e. aeronautical mobile service
H04B 7/18504
Airborne stations: aircraft used as relay or high altitude atmospheric platform
H04W 88/04
Terminal devices: adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user
H04W 84/005
Network topologies: moving wireless networks

Family

Application07/847,920Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 6 Mar 1992
Application08/027,333Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 8 Mar 1995
Application09/379,825Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 24 Aug 1999
Application09/686,923Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 11 Oct 2000
US 2002/0197990 A1Pre-grant publication · published 26 Dec 2002
US 6,408,180 B1Parent of this continuation-in-part
US 5,444,762 AParent of this continuation-in-part
US 5,557,656 AParent of this continuation-in-part
US 6,788,935 B1Related patent
US 6,650,898 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.