US 12,477,310 B2
Communications system having mobile wireless devices that communicate in push-to-talk groups via satellite or ad hoc network link
Barton B. Polizotto, Purcellville, VA (US); John M. Davis, Brentwood, TN (US); and Sebastian Morana, Haymarket, VA (US)
Assigned to EAGLE TECHNOLOGY, LLC, Melbourne, FL (US)
Filed by EAGLE TECHNOLOGY, LLC, Melbourne, FL (US)
Filed on Mar. 30, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/657,139.
Prior Publication US 2023/0319512 A1, Oct. 5, 2023
Int. Cl. H04W 4/08 (2009.01); H04W 4/10 (2009.01); H04W 84/06 (2009.01)
CPC H04W 4/08 (2013.01) [H04W 4/10 (2013.01); H04W 84/06 (2013.01)] 23 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A satellite communication system comprising:
a constellation of cross-linked orbiting satellites;
a network manager cooperating with the constellation of cross-linked orbiting satellites and configured to maintain a database of push-to-talk (PTT) groups, each PTT group comprising a plurality of mobile wireless devices;
each mobile wireless device comprising
a satellite transceiver,
a WiFi transceiver, and
a controller configured to
communicate with other members of a respective PTT group via the satellite transceiver when a satellite link is available,
determine at least one ad hoc network link with an adjacent mobile wireless device using the WiFi transceiver, and
communicate with the other members of the respective PTT group via the at least one ad hoc network link when the satellite link is not available; and
a virtual wireless mobile device having a WiFi transceiver and no satellite transceiver, said network manager configured to
a) provision the virtual wireless mobile device with PTT configurations,
b) enroll said virtual wireless mobile device within the respective PTT group of mobile wireless devices that have no available satellite link and are operating in the ad-hoc network without a communications link to the network manager, and
c) operate the virtual wireless mobile device in a passive receive-only mode using the WiFi transceiver to relay communications traffic to the network manager from the other mobile wireless devices within the PTT group,
wherein said network manager is triggered to provision the virtual wireless mobile device when the network manager loses a communications link to the mobile wireless devices within the PTT group.