Patent ID: 6073012
Filing Date: 2000-06-06
Classification: H04B

Abstract:
In a wireless communication system comprised of a plurality of satellite base stations moving with respect to earth's surface, each satellite base station providing a set of antenna beams, each antenna beam having a beam identity associated therewith, the wireless communication system having a coverage area which includes a plurality of billing territories, a method of sending ring alerts using an assigned system location to a subscriber unit residing in said coverage area, said method comprising the steps of:defining a base point location for each billing territory of said plurality;defining a plurality of reference point locations distributed within each billing territory;storing each reference point location located within each billing territory as an angle and distance relative to the associated base point location for said each billing territory;obtaining a GPS location for said subscriber unit from a global positioning satellite system;identifying one of said reference point locations which is most proximate said GPS location, and storing said one reference point in a gateway associated with a billing territory within which the one reference point location is located, said one reference point location being said assigned system location for said subscriber unit;in response to a ring-alert received for the subscriber unit, said gateway identifying one of said satellite base stations which is providing an antenna beam at said reference point location; andtransferring the ring-alert to the identified satellite base station for subsequent transmission to the subscriber unit within said provided antenna beam.