DOUGLAS GARTH BURR
Pilots at Terrazzo Ct, San Jose, CA

6392611, May 21, 2002

Aug 17, 2000

09/640936

Terry M. Smith - La Honda CA
George Hardie - Santa Barbara CA
Douglas G. Burr - San Jose CA

Space Systems/Loral, Inc. - Palo Alto CA

H01Q 1514

343912, 343756, 343779, 343840

Array fed multiple beam antenna systems and methods for use on an orbiting spacecraft carrying a communication system. The antenna systems include a reflector and a relatively small array feed compared to the reflector. The array feed has feeds (radiators) that illuminate the reflector and that are disposed in a focal plane of the reflector. A power division network excites the radiators of the feeds. The antenna system is capable of very wide scan angle operation and may be used to provide multiple spot beam coverage over the surface of the Earth viewed from a synchronous orbit spacecraft. Phase aberration normally associated with scanning is corrected by adjusting excitation coefficients of each array feed. The spot beams are scanned across a field of regard by controlling the position of each feed in the focal plane and using the appropriate amplitude and phase distribution associated with a particular spot beam (array feed). The amplitude and phase distributions may be fixed or varied during operation.

2012009, Apr 19, 2012

Apr 25, 2011

13/093669

Douglas G. Burr - San Jose CA, US

SPACE SYSTEMS/LORAL, INC. - Palo Alto CA

H04B 7/185

455 121

A broadband satellite having a payload subsystem configured to provide dual frequency conversion and bandwidth aggregation is communicatively coupled (i) to at least one gateway by a feeder link operating at a first frequency band; and (ii) to a plurality of user terminals by user links operating at a second frequency band. The payload subsystem has a first and a second frequency converter a satellite feeder link antenna feed, and a satellite user link antenna feed. The first frequency converter down converts, to a third frequency band, as an aggregated block, signals received at the satellite feeder link antenna feed from the gateway via the feeder link. The third frequency band is substantially lower than both the first and second frequency band. The down converted signals are routed to the second frequency converter for up converting to the second frequency band for transmission over the user link to the user terminals.

5978652, Nov 2, 1999

Jan 10, 1997

8/781395

Douglas Burr - San Jose CA
Troy Ellington - Vienna VA

Space Systems/Loral, Inc. - Palo Alto CA

H04B 7185

455 121

The invention relates to a Common Direct Broadcasting Service (CDBS) system for a communications spacecraft. The CDBS system comprises N uplink antennas for receiving uplinks from terrestrial transmitting stations. Each uplink includes left-hand circular polarized (LHCP) signals and/or right-hand circular polarized (RHCP) signals. The LHCP signals and the RHCP signals have frequencies within predetermined channels of a first and/or second predefined frequency band. The CDBS system also comprises means for separating the LHCP signals of the uplinks received by each uplink antenna from the RHCP signals of the uplinks received by each uplink antenna. The CDBS system further comprises a plurality of receivers for converting the separated LHCP signals and RHCP signals of the uplinks to first signals and second signals, respectively, of the uplinks. The first and second signals have frequencies within channels of a third and/or fourth predefined frequency band. The CDBS system also includes means for selecting a predetermined number of the first and second signals of the uplinks, and means for down-selecting signals of the predetermined number of the first and second signals having frequencies within selected ones of the channels of the third and/or fourth predefined frequency bands.

7787819, Aug 31, 2010

Aug 25, 2006

11/467490

John L. Walker - Union City CA, US
Rolando Menendez - Campbell CA, US
Douglas Burr - San Jose CA, US
Gilles Dubellay - Mountain View CA, US

Space Systems / Loral, Inc. - Palo Alto CA

H04B 15/00

455 132, 455 121, 455427, 370316, 342174, 342373

Methods, systems and apparatus for ground-based beamforming of a satellite communications payload () within a satellite communications network (). An embodiment of the invention comprises a satellite () communicatively coupled to at least one gateway () via a feeder link () and further coupled to a plurality of user terminals (), each communicatively coupled with the satellite by a user link (). A ground based beam forming system () measures and corrects amplitude and phase errors of a plurality of return path signals () traveling from the user terminals () via the satellite () to the at least one gateway (), and measures and corrects amplitude and phase errors of a plurality of forward path signals () traveling from the at least one gateway () via the satellite () to the user terminals ().

5963175, Oct 5, 1999

Aug 22, 1998

9/138601

Douglas G. Burr - San Jose CA

CyberStar, L.P. - Palo Alto CA

H01Q 1914

343781P

An efficient multi-beam antenna system for use with a high capacity communications satellite or spacecraft that maximizes frequency re-use of the allocated frequency spectrum. The antenna system has first and second offset reflectors disposed adjacent first and second sides of the spacecraft. A first plurality of the feed horns feed the first reflector, and a second plurality of the feed horns feed the second reflector. The feed horns and offset reflectors cooperate to produce a predetermined number of beams. Even numbered beams use a set of frequencies and polarizations that are orthogonal to a set of frequencies and polarizations used by odd numbered beams. The antenna beams are contiguous in one dimension.

7792070, Sep 7, 2010

Aug 8, 2007

11/891086

Douglas Burr - San Jose CA, US

H04B 7/185

370316, 455427

A communications network () for maximizing bandwidth utilization. An embodiment of the invention comprises a spacecraft (), at least one gateway () communicatively coupled to the spacecraft () by a feeder link () operating within at least one selected frequency band within a bandwidth, at least one user terminal () communicatively coupled to the spacecraft () by a user link (), the user link () operable at any frequency band within the bandwidth without regard to polarization; and, the communications network () adapted to provide for simultaneous operation of at least a portion of the feeder link () and a portion of the user link () at a common polarization and frequency band within the bandwidth.

8135338, Mar 13, 2012

Dec 24, 2008

12/344064

Walter Gelon - Redwood City CA, US
William Nations - Placerville CA, US
Douglas Burr - San Jose CA, US

Space Systems/Loral, Inc. - Palo Alto CA

H04B 7/185

455 131, 455 132

High data rata communications services are provided via a satellite system. Data is received from a user at a data rate greater than 30 Mbps over a communications link between the user and a first satellite, where the first satellite is one of a number of satellites within the satellite system; the data is forwarded over a crosslink from the first satellite to at least a second satellite within the satellite system; and the data is forwarded from the second satellite by a feeder link to a gateway located on the earth, said gateway being communicatively coupled to a terrestrial data network. The data is received from the user terminal by an antenna on the first satellite adapted for operation at a frequency associated with the feeder link.

2013015, Jun 20, 2013

Dec 20, 2011

13/332145

Douglas G. Burr - San Jose CA, US

SPACE SYSTEMS/LORAL, INC. - Palo Alto CA

G01S 13/02

342188

A spacecraft has a high efficiency multi-beam antenna (MBA) system that serves a coverage region on the Earth. The coverage region subtends an angle, when viewed from the spacecraft, of at least ten degrees. The antenna system provides, within the coverage region, at least sixteen spot beams. A signal provided by the MBA system to each spot beam has a carrier to interference ratio (C/I) of no less than 20 dB. The system enables use of a three color frequency reuse scheme without recourse to signal encoding.

8270899, Sep 18, 2012

Aug 13, 2010

12/856468

John L. Walker - Union City CA, US
Rolando Menendez - Campbell CA, US
Douglas Burr - San Jose CA, US
Gilles Dubellay - Mountain View CA, US

Space Systems/Loral, Inc. - Palo Alto CA

H04B 15/00

455 132, 455 121, 455427, 342174, 342373, 370316

Methods, systems and apparatus for ground-based beamforming of a satellite communications payload () within a satellite communications network (). An embodiment of the invention comprises a satellite () communicatively coupled to at least one gateway () via a feeder link () and a plurality of user terminals (), each communicatively coupled with the satellite by a user link () where a ground based beam forming system () receives, via feeder link (), return path signals () traveling from the user terminals () via the satellite () to the at least one gateway () and forward path signals () traveling from the at least one gateway () via the satellite () to the user terminals (), and measures and corrects amplitude and phase errors of the return path signals () and the forward path signals ().

2011000, Jan 13, 2011

Aug 23, 2010

12/861702

Douglas Burr - San Jose CA, US

SPACE SYSTEMS/LORAL, INC. - Palo Alto CA

H04B 7/185

370316

A communications network () for maximizing bandwidth utilization. An embodiment of the invention comprises a spacecraft (), at least one gateway () communicatively coupled to the spacecraft () by a feeder link () operating within at least one selected frequency band within a bandwidth, at least one user terminal () communicatively coupled to the spacecraft () by a user link (), the user link () operable at any frequency band within the bandwidth without regard to polarization; and, the communications network () adapted to provide for simultaneous operation of at least a portion of the feeder link () and a portion of the user link () at a common polarization and frequency band within the bandwidth.