Patent ID: 8139496

Claim:
A method of controlling spectrum use by a wireless radio system, comprising: obtaining a spectrum certificate with the wireless radio system, the spectrum certificate specifying a time window, a frequency-based spectral mask, a geography-based emission mask and a transmitted power limit, and wherein the spectrum certificate is a data object that obligates the wireless radio system to comply with the time window, the frequency-based spectral mask, the geography-based emission mask and the transmitted power limit of the spectrum certificate; and electronically binding the wireless radio system to carry out wireless communications in accordance with the frequency-based spectral mask, the geography-based emission mask and the transmitted power limit during the time window, the time window specifying when the spectrum certificate is valid and the wireless communications carried out in an environment with other wireless radio systems that conduct wireless communications in accordance with respective spectrum certificates, the wireless radio systems comprising a dynamically changing group of spectrum users having diverse spectrum needs, and the spectrum certificate availing part of a pool of available spectrum to the wireless radio system, the pool of available spectrum from plural spectrum holders each having authority to release use of the spectrum contributed to pool to another entity and the available spectrum in the pool dynamically changing over time as spectrum becomes available from the spectrum holders, as spectrum is no longer available for use by the spectrum users and as spectrum is allocated for use by the spectrum users in the spectrum certificates.