Data delivery to devices on vehicles using multiple forward links

• US 10,205,509 B2
• Filed: 04/04/2018
• Issued: 02/12/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gogo Business Aviation LLC (GOGO Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Gogo LLC (GOGO Incorporated)
• Inventors: Lauer, Bryan Adrian, Loganathan, Rukmani, Sasi, Sajit, Walsh, Patrick J., Chari, Anand
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Khai M
• Application Number:
  US15/945,545
• Publication Number:
  US 20180234165A1
• Time in Patent Office: 314 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18506 Communications with or from aircraft, i.e. aeronautical mobile service
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18508 with satellite system used as relay, i.e. aeronautical mobile satellite service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0268 using specific QoS parameters for wireless networks, e.g. QoS class identifier [QCI] or guaranteed bit rate [GBR] negotiating SLA or negotiating QoS H04W28/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/005 Moving wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/06 Airborne or Satellite Networks space-based or airborne stations H04B7/185

Abstract

Data content that is to be utilized, as a whole, at a target device on-board a vehicle is apportioned for delivery onto the vehicle via multiple forward links, each of which is included in a different frequency band and/or used a different protocol. A mapping or selection of a specific portion of the data content for a specific forward link may based on a data content type of the specific portion, as well as on other dynamic or static criteria. The target device may operate on the subsets of the data content as it receives each subset. Thus, time critical/foundational portions of the data content may be delivered using a faster forward link, larger elements of the data content may be delivered using a higher-bandwidth forward link, and/or portions of the data content requiring a higher degree of accuracy may be delivered using a more robust forward link, for example.

Claims

1. A method of distributively delivering content to devices being transported by vehicles, the method comprising:

mapping, to a respective forward link of a plurality of forward links, each portion of a plurality of portions of a content that is requested, via a user interface of a device that is being transported by a vehicle that is in-flight, to be delivered to the device for display, as a whole, at the user interface of the device, the mapping of a first portion of the plurality of portions of the requested content to a corresponding forward link based on one of a first type of data included in the first portion or a second type of data included in a second portion of the plurality of portions of the requested content, and the plurality of forward links including at least one of an LTE (Long Term Evolution) communication link or a line-of-sight wireless communication link; and

causing respective transmissions of the plurality of portions of the requested content to be sent to the in-flight vehicle using the respective forward links indicated by the mapping.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first portion of the requested content excludes the second type of data and the second portion of the requested content excludes the first type of data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein causing the respective transmissions of the plurality of portions of the requested content to be sent to the in-flight vehicle using the respective forward links indicated by the mapping comprises causing one or more transmissions of one or more portions of the requested content to be sent to the in-flight vehicle using the LTE communication link.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein causing the respective transmissions of the plurality of portions of the requested content to be sent to the in-flight vehicle using the respective forward links indicated by the mapping comprises causing one or more transmissions of one or more portions of the requested content to be sent to the in-flight vehicle using the line-of-sight wireless communication link.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the line-of-sight wireless communication link is an optical communication link.

6. The method of claim 1,

further comprising selecting a particular forward link included in at least one forward link mapped to a particular portion of the requested content;

and

wherein causing the respective transmissions of the plurality of portions of the requested content to be sent to the in-flight vehicle using the respective forward links indicated by the mapping comprises causing the particular portion of the requested content to be sent to the in-flight vehicle using the selected, particular forward link.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein mapping the particular portion of the requested content to the at least one forward link is based on a first criteria, and wherein selecting the particular forward link included in the at least one forward link is based on a second criteria different than the first criteria.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein mapping the each portion of the requested content is further based on at least one of:

a type of application executing on the device and to which the requested content is to be delivered, a level of an on-board data service corresponding to the device, or a characteristic of an account corresponding to a user of the device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein mapping the each portion of the requested content is further based on at least one of:

a respective current capacity of at least one of the plurality of forward links, a respective current availability of the at least one of the plurality of forward links, a respective transmission quality of the at least one of the plurality of forward links, an availability of a socket corresponding to one of the plurality of forward links, a type of socket corresponding to at least one of the plurality of forward links, a delivery time requirement, or a dynamic resource allocation algorithm.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein mapping the each portion of the requested content is performed at one or more of an application level, a packet level, or a stream level of a data stream in which the requested content is included.

11. A system for distributively delivering content to devices being transported by vehicles, the system comprising:

a hybrid communications distributor comprising;

a communication interface communicatively connecting, via a plurality of forward links, the hybrid communications distributor to a vehicle that is in-flight, the plurality of forward links including at least one of an LTE (Long Term Evolution) communication link or a line-of-sight wireless communication link;

one or more processors; and

one or more tangible, non-transitory memories storing computer-executable instructions thereon that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the hybrid communications distributor to;

map each portion of a plurality of portions of a content to a respective forward link of the plurality of forward links, the content requested, via a user interface of a device transported by the in-flight vehicle, to be delivered to the device for display, as a whole, at the user interface of the device, and the mapping of a first portion of the plurality of portions of the requested content to a corresponding forward link is based on one of a first type of data included in the first portion or a second type of data included in a second portion of the plurality of portions of the requested content; and

cause respective transmissions of the plurality of portions of the requested content to be sent, via the communication interface, to the in-flight vehicle using the respective forward links indicated by the mapping.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the requested content comprises at least one of a webpage, a response to a request received at the user interface of the device, or streaming data.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the respective forward links via which the plurality of portions of the requested content are transmitted to the in-flight vehicle includes the LTE communication link.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the respective forward links via which the plurality of portions of the requested content are transmitted to the in-flight vehicle includes the line-of-sight wireless communication link.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the line-of-sight wireless communication link is an optical communication link.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein:

the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the hybrid communications distributor to select a particular forward link included in at least one forward link mapped to a particular portion of the requested content; and

the respective forward links via which the plurality of portions of the requested content are transmitted to the in-flight vehicle includes the selected, particular forward link.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the mapping of the particular portion of the requested content to the at least one forward link is based on a first criteria, and wherein the selection of the particular forward link included in the at least one forward link is based on a second criteria different than the first criteria.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the mapping of the each portion of the requested content is further based on at least one of:

a type of application executing on the device and to which the requested content is to be delivered, a level of an on-board data service corresponding to the device, or a characteristic of an account corresponding to a user of the device.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the mapping of the each portion of the requested content is further based on at least one of:

a respective current capacity of at least one of the plurality of forward links, a respective current availability of the at least one of the plurality of forward links, a respective transmission quality of the at least one of the plurality of forward links, an availability of a socket corresponding to one of the plurality of forward links, a type of socket corresponding to at least one of the plurality of forward links, a delivery time requirement, or a dynamic resource allocation algorithm.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein the mapping of the each portion of the requested content is performed at one or more of an application level, a packet level, or a stream level of a data stream in which the requested content is included.