Patent ID: 9680559
Date: 2017-06-13
CPC Classifications: H04B,H04W

Claim:
1. A computer-implemented method performed by a server computer system of a satellite communications system, the method comprising: receiving, by the server computer system from a first client computer system, a request for communication service for a user associated with the first client computer system; accessing a first set of communication service requirements in response to the request, the first set of communication service requirements specifying satellite resources required to satisfy a communication service need of the user; accessing, by the server computer system, an existing unified beam plan that is currently deployed, the existing unified beam plan including information on a first group of satellite beams currently used by a satellite of the satellite communications system to provide communication services to other users, the other users being associated with corresponding sets of communication service requirements that specify satellite resources required to satisfy respective communication service needs of the other users; determining a modified unified beam plan by modifying the existing unified beam plan to include information on a second group of satellite beams that is different from the first group of satellite beams and that is configured to replace the first group of satellite beams to provide communication service to the user associated with the first client computer system in accordance with the first set of communication service requirements and to the other users in accordance with the corresponding sets of communication service requirements, wherein determining the modified unified beam plan comprises: determining a user-specific beam plan based on the modified unified beam plan, the user-specific beam plan including information on satellite beams and spectra for allocation to the user associated with the first client computer system, the satellite beams included in the second group of satellite beams; communicating the user-specific beam plan to the first client computer system; receiving a message from the first client system indicating that the user-specific beam plan has been approved by the user; and deploying the modified unified beam plan in response to receiving the message indicating that the user-specific beam plan has been approved by the user.