Low-power multi-function cellular television system

Claim 2

A low power, multi-function cellular television system including a plurality of low power cell node transmitter stations and a plurality of receivers, comprising : a plurality of substantially omni-directional transmitting antennas connected to cell node transmitter stations; and, a plurality of directional receiving antennas connected to subscriber receiver stations and directed to receive a television signal from only one of said omni-directional transmitting antennas.

Claim 3

The system of Claim 1 wherein said receiving antennas have a signal pick-up angle of approximately 2 degrees.

Claim 4

the system of Claim 2 wherein said transmitting antennas include: a first group of transmitting antennas for transmitting a signal with a first given transmitted polarity; and, a second group of transmitted antennas for transmitting a signal with a second given transmitted polarity different from the polarity of the signals of said first group of transmitting antennas.

Claim 5

The system of Claim 3 wherein said receiving antennas include: a first group of receiving antennas for receiving signals of said first transmitted polarity; and, a second group of receiving antennas for receiving signals of said second transmitted polarity.

Claim 6

The system of Claim 4 further comprising: subscriber transmitter means for transmitting a signal from a subscriber receiving station to a cell node transmitter station, and, cell node transmitter station receiving means for receiving said signals from said subscriber transmitter means, wherein said signals transmitted by said cell node transmitter stations are different in frequency from the signals received by said cell node transmitter stations.

Claim 7

The apparatus of Claim 5 wherein at least some of said transmitted frequencies from said cell node transmitter stations are different from each other.

Claim 8

The system of Claim 6 wherein at least some of said receiving frequencies from said subscriber receiving stations are different from each other.

Claim 9

The system of Claim 7 wherein the modulation mode of at least some of said transmitted signals from said cell node transmitter stations are different from the modulation mode of at least some of said received signals of said subscriber receiving stations.

Claim 10

The system of Claim 2 wherein said transmitting antennas of said cell node transmitter stations are located in an array such that the polarity of the transmitted signals of adjacent transmitting antennas of said cell node transmitter stations are different.

Claim 11

The system of Claim 9 further comprising: repeater means for receiving signals from said omni-­directional transmitting antennas and retransmitting said signals to the directional receiving antennas of individual subscriber receiving station.

Claim 12

The system of Claim 10 wherein the signals transmitted by said repeater means are of a different polarity from the signals received by said repeater means.

Claim 13

The system of Claim 9 wherein said cell node transmitters include a transmitting antenna for transmitting a signal with a first given polarity and receiving antenna for receiving signals of a second given polarity different from said first given polarity.

Claim 14

The system of Claim 12 wherein said subscriber receiver stations include a receiving antenna polarized to receive the signal from said first antenna of said cell node transmitter, said subscriber receiver station also including a transmitter antenna polarized to transmit signals back to the receiving antenna of said cell node transmitter station.

Claim 15

The system of Claim 13 wherein the transmitting and receiving antennas of the cell node transmitters are physically separated so that one is in front of the other.

Claim 16

The system of Claim 13 wherein said central node transmitter stations include: a master oscillator; wherein said subscriber receiver stations include a phase lock loop for locking onto the frequency of said master oscillator in said cell node transmitters stations, wherein the phase lock loops in said subscriber receiver stations synchronize the receiver with the frequencies of said cell node transmitter stations.

Claim 17

The system of Claim 15 wherein said subscriber receiver stations include: differential phase shift filter means for filtering out unwanted frequencies.

Claim 18

The system of Claim 16 wherein said cell node transmitter stations include: FM multiplexer for multiplexing a plurality of signals; a first converter for converting the output from said FM multiplexer; a first differential phase shift filter for filtering the output from said first converter; power amplifier means having a first and second input for producing an amplified output; digital multiplexer means for digitally multiplexing a second plurality of signals; second converter connected to said digital multiplexer for converting the output frequency from said digit al multiplexer; local oscillator means for providing a second input to said first converter; phase shifting means connected to said local oscillator means and to said second converter for providing a second frequency input to said second converter; second differential phase shift filter connected to the output of said second converter, the output of said second differential phase shift filter providing the second input to said power amplifier means; first antenna coupling means attached to the output of said power amplifier means, said coupling means having an output attached to the transmitting antenna of said cell node transmitter station.

Claim 19

The system of Claim 17 wherein said cell node transmitter stations further include: a second antenna coupling means connected to the receiving antenna of said cell node transmitter station; third differential phase shift filter connected to the output of said second antenna coupling means; first frequency converter connected to the output of said third differential phase shift filter; demultiplexer means connected to the output of said first frequency converter; second frequency converter having an input connected to the output of said first frequency converter; feedback means forming a second input to said second frequency converter; discriminator means connected to the output of said second frequency converter, the output of said discriminator means being coupled to the output of said cellular node transmitter station; and, third converter having an input connected to said local oscillator means and an output connected to said first frequency converter.

Claim 20

The system of Claim 18 wherein said subscriber receiver stations include: a first frequency converter connected to the receiving element of said antenna of said subscriber receiver station; coupler means connected to the output of said first frequency converter; first oscillator means having a frequency control connection connected to said coupler means, the output of said first oscillator means connected as a second input to said first frequency converter; second frequency converter having an input connected to the output of said coupler means; discriminator means connected to the output of said second frequency converter; second oscillator means having a control input terminal thereof connected to the output of said discriminator means, said second oscillator means further having an output terminal thereof connected as a second input to said second frequency converter; and, manually tunable means connected to said second oscillator means for tuning said second oscillator means, wherein the output from said discriminator means forms the input to a conventional television set.

Claim 21

The system of Claim 19 further comprising: an offset mixer connected to the output of said first oscillator means; third oscillator means connected as a second input to said offset mixer; a second mixer connected to the output of said offset mixer, said second mixer having a second input connected to a source of audio digital data, wherein the output from said second mixer is connected to the transmitting antenna of said subscriber receiver station for transmitting signals back to said cell node transmitter stations with a polarity different from the signals received from said cell node transmitter stations.