Federated system for centralized management and distribution of content media

• US 10,387,976 B2
• Filed: 12/02/2016
• Issued: 08/20/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Veriscan LLC
• Original Assignee: Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority
• Inventors: Kundu, Goutam, Peifer, Thomas, Karuppiah, Balaji
• Primary Examiner(s): Duong, Oanh
• Application Number:
  US15/368,558
• Publication Number:
  US 20170169528A1
• Time in Patent Office: 991 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6254 by anonymising data, e.g. decorrelating personal data from the owner's identification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0281 Customer communication at a business location, e.g. providing product or service information, consulting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/14 Travel agencies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/765 intermediate

Abstract

The invention comprises a federated system having a centralized data collection node that receives real-time data feeds from multiple airport systems, a data decoupling module for scrubbing received data, coding scrubbed data, and validating coded output data, and a central control node for monitoring and controlling the system. The invention also includes graphical user interfaces and methods for displaying such information at a central node, or NOC. The invention can also detect output devices and create specific special purpose feeds for each data destination or remote display, as well as systems that allow an airline to remotely access and update the status and settings of a remote travel operations display system via the Internet.

Claims

1. A method of providing media content to a plurality of displays in an airport, comprising:

providing a central control node that includes a computer with a processor linked to computer memory, wherein the central control node is configured with computer programming instructions to monitor and control a centralized data collection node and a data decoupling module,

receiving real-time data feeds from multiple airport systems into the centralized data collection node, wherein the real-time data feeds comprise real-time airport data feeds selected from the group consisting of an airline data feed, a baggage data feed, a terminal data feed, a public safety data feed, a passenger data feed, a weather data feed, a gate data feed, a vendor data feed, a ground transportation data feed, an air traffic control data feed, and a media data feed

mapping received real-time data feeds using computer program instructions in the data decoupling module,

extracting mapped data using computer program instructions in the data decoupling module,

coding the extracted mapped data using computer program instructions in the data decoupling module,

validating the coded extracted mapped output data using computer program instructions in the data decoupling module, and

storing the mapped-extracted-coded-validated (MECV) output data in a relational database using computer program instructions in the data decoupling module, wherein the central control node is configured with computer programming instructions to manage the relational database,

transmitting selected and filtered (SnF) output data from the relational database to a plurality of remote display devices, wherein the central control node is configured with computer programming instructions to transmit the SnF output data to the plurality of display devices,

monitoring and controlling the real-time data feeds, relational database management, data decoupling and output selection, device detection feedback, output data feed distribution to a display device, and the updating of output data feeds for repurposing the plurality of displays in an airport, wherein the central control node is configured with computer programming instructions to monitor and control real-time data feeds, relational database management, data decoupling and output selection, device detection feedback, output data feed distribution to a display device, and the updating of output data feeds for repurposing the plurality of displays in an airport, and,

providing a combined airport data feeds user interface to a display connected to the centralized data collection node, said interface comprising;

a data feeds region configured with computer programming instructions to display links to real-time airport data feeds selected from the group consisting of an airline data feed, a baggage data feed, a terminal data feed, a public safety data feed, a passenger data feed, a weather data feed, a gate data feed, a vendor data feed, a transportation data feed, an air traffic control data feed, and a media data feed;

a system management region configured with computer programming instructions to display system management tools for centralized management and distribution of airport content media,

at least one additional region configured with computer programming instructions to display information relating to the at least one additional region, wherein the at least one additional region selected from a manage relational database region, a manage remote display region, a manage customer/passenger mobile devices region, an emergency management region, an archive region, a manage beacon network region, a generate reports region, a communication region, an alert region, and an system parameters region.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting selected and filtered output data from the relational database includes the steps of detecting a type of display of the plurality of displays, wherein the type of display comprises one or more devices selected from the group consisting of a smartphone, a tablet, a laptop, and a desktop computer, and using an application programming interface (API) specific for each type of device to receive device-modified special purpose output data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the airline data feed is received according to the following steps:

providing a web server connected to the Internet, wherein the web server is programmed to access the centralized data collection node, wherein the web server has a data storage device, a connection to the Internet to communicate with the airline, and a messaging gateway coupled to a network to communicate with the centralized data collection node;

providing at least one remote access module that is connected to the centralized data collection node, the remote access module having a digital interface coupled to the centralized data collection node and a communications module to communicate with the web server via the network, and the messaging gateway; and

providing an internet device is connected to the internet to allow the airline to communicate with the web server, wherein the airline can remotely access and control the centralized data collection node via the web server.

4. The method of claim 1,

wherein the airline feed data is directly received from an airline and includes arrival and departure data directly from the airline and formatted as received from the airline,

wherein the check-in feed data is directly received from an airline check-in desk and includes gate information from the airline or a proxy,

wherein the baggage feed data is directly received from an airport baggage system and includes baggage location and belt information from the airport baggage system or a proxy, airport-generated baggage data, airline information, and law enforcement information relating to TSA lists, DEA (drugs), FDA (foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals, etc.), Treasury (currency), ATF (firearms), and parallel State law enforcement data,

wherein terminal-specific feed data is directly received from an airport terminal system and includes concessions and amenities information from the airport terminal system or a proxy,

wherein public safety feed data is directly received from an airport public safety system and includes real-time emergency notification information from the airport public safety system, first responder system, or a proxy,

wherein passenger screening feed data is directly received from an airport passenger screening system and includes wait time information from the airport passenger screening system or a proxy, external passenger screening data such as TSA no-fly list data, federal or State judicial information for wanted persons or fugitives, federal or State law-enforcement data relating to child-safety alerts, immigration data, customs data, and taxation data,

wherein weather feed data is directly received from an airport weather system and includes current destination weather information from the airport weather system or a proxy,

wherein television feed data is directly received from the airport television control system and includes broadcast channels and information from the airport television control system or a proxy,

wherein gate information feed data 1 is directly received from an airport gate information system and includes gate location information from the airport gate information system or a proxy, airline/airport gate assignments, gate changes, gate maintenance, jetway data, air travel delay data, passenger secondary verification and screening data, excess baggage data, carry-on baggage data, disabled passenger data (wheelchair, chaperone, carting), and special need passenger data (unaccompanied minor),

wherein vendor feed data is directly received from an airport vendor system and includes passenger services and advertising information from the airport vendor system or a proxy,

wherein transportation feed data is directly received from the airport transportation system and includes parking, bus, taxi, and subway/rail information from the airport transportation system or a proxy,

wherein air traffic control feed data is directly received from the airport air traffic control system and includes airport status information from the air traffic control system or a proxy, airborne air traffic data, ground/runway data, ground crew and ground equipment data, jetway data, aircraft re-fueling data, aircraft re-supply data, weather data, and entire air travel system data, and

wherein conveyance monitoring feed is directly received from an airport passenger conveyance system and includes elevator, escalator, jetway, and walkway information from the airport conveyance system or a proxy.