Patent ID: 6487183
Filing Date: 2002-11-26
Classification: H04B

Abstract:
A method for implementing an activity based resource assignment medium access control (MAC) protocol to allocate resources to subscribers in an interactive, multimedia, broadband satellite communications system, said method comprising:providing a plurality of channels; assigning at least one of said plurality of channels to each of a plurality of terminals wherein said assigning step includes: (1) sharing a pool of satellite transmission resources among large numbers of multimedia terminals; (2) exploiting traffic characteristics of individual interactive satellite terminal users, wherein said characteristics include intermittent bursts of high activity followed by long periods of no activity; and (3) reducing access delay within the communication system; monitoring utilization of channel resources by said plurality of terminals; evaluating system needs based on levels of activity of said plurality of terminals and utilization of channel resources by said plurality of terminals; communicating to a resource controller information on said system needs and requests for system resources by said plurality of terminals; calculating system needs utilizing said resource controller; and utilizing said resource controller, adjusting resources allocated to individual channels of said plurality of channels based on said system needs, wherein said adjusting provides active terminals with required resources when said terminals are active, subject to resource availability.