Patent ID: 8526328

Claim:
A system for pointing, acquisition, and tracking (PAT) in a networked communications system, comprising: a plurality of communications elements, comprising: a first communications device comprising; a first processor and a first PAT module operating on the first processor for establishing PAT links with other communications elements in the networked communications system; a second communications device comprising: a second processor and a second PAT module operating on the second processor for establishing PAT links with other communications elements in the networked communications system; and a communications node comprising: a third processor and a third PAT module operating on the third processor for establishing PAT links with other communications elements in the networked communications system, wherein a first PAT link is formable between the first communications device and the communications node, a second PAT link is formable between the second communications device and the communications node, and a third PAT link is formable between the first communications device and the second communications device through the communications node, wherein the first PAT link and the second PAT link together define another communications link with respect to the third PAT link between the first communications device and the second communications device.