Patent ID: 8073458

Claim:
A computer implemented method for allocating spectrum for wireless communications, comprising: maintaining a database of spectrum that has been offered by spectrum holders for use by spectrum users, the offered spectrum changing dynamically over time as new spectrum offers become available from spectrum holders, as spectrum offers elapse, and as spectrum availability from the holders changes, and identifying portions of the offered spectrum that have been allocated to spectrum users, the remainder of the offered spectrum being unallocated spectrum; receiving by the processor of the computer a request for spectrum from a user, the request specifying aspects of desired spectrum including, a time duration, a geographic area and frequency-related spectral data in at least one of plural formats; identifying a lack of available spectrum from the offered spectrum to fulfill the specified aspects in the request due to at least one of a conflict with an existing spectrum allocation, a conflict with another spectrum request, or the lack of matching offered spectrum; and apportioning to the user unallocated spectrum from spectrum offers from one or more different spectrum holders that when aggregated fulfill the request with unallocated spectrum that matches the time duration and the geographic area aspects of the request and that is discontinuous in frequency during the time duration, wherein the apportioning includes matching the frequency-related spectral data to the unallocated spectrum by classifying the frequency-related spectral data and the unallocated spectrum using a common classification system.