Patent ID: 7194270
Filing Date: 2007-03-20
Classification: H04B,H04W

Abstract:
1. A satellite-based method for rapidly altering the size of a communication cell in response to bandwidth demands, said method including: transmitting a plurality of radio frequency (RF) beams from a satellite-based transmitter to establish a corresponding plurality of communication cells, each of the plurality of communication cells having an assignable set of communication slots capable of servicing a plurality of users in a coverage area during a frame time interval, the plurality of users including first users having a high demand and second users having a low demand, the first users assigned a first group of the assignable set of communication slots and the second users assigned a second group of the assignable set of communication slots; establishing a first size for a first communication cell associated with one of the plurality of RF beams based on a first bandwidth demand associated with the first users; determining a second size for said first communication cell associated with the one of the plurality of RF beams based on a second bandwidth demand associated with the second users; and rapidly altering the size of said first communication cell from said first size to a second size during the second group of the assignable set of communication slots and from said second size to said first size during the first group of the assignable set of communication slots, by adjusting one or more beam forming parameters associated with the one of the plurality of RF beams.