Patent ID: 7640016

Claim:
A deck-to-deck cellular communication network for providing communication services to a plurality of wireless subscriber devices that are located in an aircraft when said aircraft is transitioning between flight modes, where said aircraft is served by at least one of a plurality of air-to-ground cells of an air-to-ground cellular network while above a predetermined altitude, and by an airport cell when said aircraft is on the ground at an airport, comprising: inner cell, which is part of said air-to-ground cellular network and is interposed between said at least one of said air-to-ground cells and said airport cell, to provide cellular communication services exclusively from said air-to-ground cellular network to said aircraft when said aircraft is below a predetermined altitude and not served by said airport cell, comprising: two sets of co-spectrum air-to-ground cellular base stations that are located on a circumference of a ring centered on the airport, wherein said base stations of each set of co-spectrum air-to-ground base stations are located in pairs consisting of a base station from each set and wherein said base stations of each of said pairs generates radio frequency signals on predetermined frequencies that are non-interfering with other co-spectrum air-to-ground cellular base stations and wherein each set of radio frequency signals is cross-duplexed from each other, and one or more antennas located at each of said co-spectrum air-to-ground cellular base stations having closely matching antenna patterns, similar transmit power levels, compatible air interface technologies, and having elevation patterns that map to the arrival glide slope corridors of said airport; and handoff controller, which is part of said air-to-ground cellular network and responsive to said aircraft transitioning across said predefined altitude, for transferring said cellular communication services provided to said aircraft between said inner cell and said at least one of said air-to-ground cells, exclusively within said air-to-ground cellular network.