Patent ID: 6690934
Filing Date: 2004-02-10
Classification: H04B

Abstract:
A shared communication system for communicating between a plurality of independent satellite users and each of their respective orbiting satellites comprising:a) a user interface, one for each of the plurality of independent satellite users, accepting user data from one of the plurality of independent satellite users to be transmitted to or accepting user instructions to receive satellite data from a selectable one of the plurality of orbiting satellites; b) a central controller being coupled to the user interface, receiving the user data to be transmitted or receiving the user instructions to receive the satellite data from the selectable one of the plurality of orbiting satellites, interacting with the one of the plurality of independent satellite users via the user interface to enable the one of the plurality of independent satellite users to control the satellite to which the user data is to be transmitted and/or satellite data is to be received, and to schedule a time at which the user data is to be transmitted and/or satellite data is to be received; and c) a plurality of remote ground stations, each ground station having: (i) a remotely transmitter receiving the user data to be transmitted, transmitting the user data to the selectable one of the plurality of orbiting satellites, and (ii) a receiver receiving the satellite data for the one of the plurality of independent satellite users from the selectable one of the plurality of satellites, and communicating the satellite data to the user interface or the central controller, wherein the central controller interacts with the one of the plurality of independent satellite users to control from which of the plurality of remote ground stations the user data is to be transmitted and/or satellite data is to be received.