System and method for providing in-flight computer printing services on an aircraft

• US 20030048471A1
• Filed: 09/10/2001
• Published: 03/13/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Lundgren, Mark A.
• Application Number:
  US09/949,695
• Publication Number:
  US 20030048471A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1205 resulting in increased flexibility in print job configuration, e.g. job settings, print requirements, job tickets
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1236 Connection management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1238 Secure printing, e.g. user identification, user rights for device usage, unallowed content, blanking portions or fields of a page, releasing held jobs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1273 Print job history, e.g. logging, accounting, tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1288 in client-server-printer device configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A system and method for printing documents by a passenger or crew member, from the individual'"'"'s personal computing device carried on-board the aircraft, while travelling on the aircraft. The system involves connecting the computing device such as a laptop computer of the user to an aircraft based network. The network is connected to an on-board server. In a first preferred embodiment, the on-board server connects via a communications link established via a satellite to a ground based server with a resident printing services application running thereon. In a second preferred embodiment, the aircraft based server has resident the printing services application for receiving and processing user printing requests. The user selects printing and delivery options through the printing services application including the option of printing to user designated remote locations. The document is then printed pursuant to the specifications provided by the user.

Claims

1. A method for enabling an aircraft passenger/crew member to print a document through an aircraft based network while travelling on the aircraft, comprising:

providing a computing device operated by the passenger/crew member;

connecting the computing device to the aircraft based network wherein the aircraft based network is connected to an aircraft based server comprising a print module for receiving a printing request from the computing device initiated by the aircraft passenger/crew member;

accessing the print module through the aircraft based network;

setting parameters in the print module for printing the document wherein the document is printed at a location designated by the passenger/crew member; and

printing the document according to the set parameters in the print module, wherein the print module routs the print request to the location designated by the passenger/crew member wherein the document is printed.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the print module requests payment information from the passenger/crew member and transacts a charge for printing the document.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the location designated by the passenger/crew member is selected from one of on-board the aircraft and at a ground based location.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the computing device is selected from the group consisting of a laptop computer, a hand held computer, a telephone with an Internet connection capability.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the aircraft based network comprises a local area network including a plurality of hard-wired connections available at a plurality of locations throughout the aircraft.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the aircraft based network comprises a wireless local area network in communication with an interface card connected to the computing device.

7. A method for enabling passengers on an in-flight aircraft to print documents to a plurality of locations, comprising:

providing a computing device for initiating printing of a document;

using the computing device to initiate a print request for a user designated document;

connecting the computing device to a server disposed in the aircraft for receiving the document wherein the server is connected to a communications module in communication with a Receiver/Transmitter Subsystem for passing the print request from the aircraft to a ground based printing station; and

electronically transferring the document through the network to the ground based printing station wherein the document is printed.

8. A system for printing a document on an in-flight aircraft by an individual on the aircraft wherein the individual has a computing device connected to a network on-board the aircraft comprising:

an aircraft based network disposed in the aircraft for connecting to the individual'"'"'s computing device;

an aircraft server connected to the aircraft based network wherein the aircraft server is operably associated with a satellite, wherein the aircraft server sends a signal to the satellite for relay of the signal to a ground based server connected to a ground based network;

a first print module operably associated with the aircraft server for accepting a request to print the document initiated by the individual wherein the aircraft server sends the request to the ground based server; and

a second print module operably associated with the ground based server for receiving the request to print from the first print module and directing the request to print to a printer wherein the document is printed.

9. A system for printing a document on an in-flight aircraft by a passenger on the aircraft wherein the passenger has a computing device connected to an aircraft based network, comprising:

an aircraft based network disposed in the aircraft for connecting to the passenger'"'"'s computing device;

an aircraft server connected to the aircraft based network, wherein the aircraft server is operably associated with a satellite, and wherein the aircraft server sends a signal to the satellite for relay of the signal to a ground based server connected to a ground based network; and

a print module operably associated with the ground based server for receiving the request to print and directing the request to print to a printer wherein the document is printed.