Area entertainment system including digital radio service and associated methods

• US 20060142002A1
• Filed: 12/28/2004
• Published: 06/29/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LiveTV LLC (Thales SA)
• Original Assignee: LiveTV LLC (Thales SA)
• Inventors: Easterling, Scott D., Keen, Robert M., Funderburk, Jason
• Granted Patent: US 7,676,225 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/431
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/0015 Arrangements for entertainment or communications, e.g. radio, television
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/00155 Individual entertainment or communication system remote controls therefor, located in or connected to seat components, e.g. to seat back or arm rest
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/403 with centralised control, e.g. polling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/4028 the transportation system being an aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/40 Weight reduction

Abstract

An area entertainment system includes a headend unit, and electronic boxes spaced throughout the area. The headend unit includes a digital satellite radio receiver. A local area network (LAN) connects the digital satellite radio receiver for providing digital satellite radio signals to the electronic boxes. The entertainment system further includes user control units connected to the electronic boxes, with each user control unit permitting user selection of the digital satellite radio signals.

Claims

1. An area entertainment system comprising:

a headend unit comprising at least one digital satellite radio receiver;

a plurality of electronic boxes spaced throughout the area; and

a local area network (LAN) connecting said at least one digital satellite radio receiver for providing digital satellite radio signals to said plurality of electronic boxes.

2. An area entertainment system according to claim 1 wherein said LAN comprises an Ethernet network.

3. An area entertainment system according to claim 1 further comprising a plurality of user control units connected to said plurality of electronic boxes, each user control unit for permitting user selection of the digital satellite radio signals.

4. An area entertainment system according to claim 1 wherein said headend unit further comprises a processor for receiving the digital satellite radio signals from said at least one digital satellite radio receiver, and for outputting the digital satellite radio signals to said LAN.

5. An area entertainment system according to claim 4 wherein the area is divided into a plurality of zones and each electronic box is within a respective zone;

and wherein said headend unit further comprises a switch between said processor and said LAN, said switch including a first input for receiving the digital satellite radio signals from said processor, and a plurality of outputs, each output for outputting the digital satellite radio signals to said electronic boxes within a respective zone.

6. An area entertainment system according to claim 5 wherein said switch includes a second input;

wherein said headend unit further comprises a video server connected to the second input of said switch for providing video to said LAN via the plurality of outputs; and

wherein each electronic box comprises at least one auxiliary output for providing the video to at least one external display.

7. An area entertainment system according to claim 5 wherein said switch includes a third input;

wherein said headend unit further comprises a satellite television (TV) receiver connected to the third input of said switch for providing TV programming channels to said LAN via the plurality of outputs.

8. An area entertainment system according to claim 7 further comprising a plurality of video display units (VDU) connected to said plurality of electronic boxes, each VDU for permitting user viewing of the TV programming channels.

9. An area entertainment system according to claim 1 wherein each electronic box comprises:

a network switch including an input connected to said LAN, and a plurality of outputs for outputting the digital satellite radio signals; and

at least one user processor connected to the plurality of outputs for decoding the digital satellite radio signals.

10. An area entertainment system according to claim 9 wherein each electronic box further comprises a network switch control processor connected to said network switch for control thereof.

11. An area entertainment system according to claim 9 further comprising a respective user control unit connected to said at least one user processor for permitting user selection of the digital satellite radio signals to be decoded.

12. An area entertainment system according to claim 9 wherein the digital satellite radio signals include textual data associated therewith.

13. An area entertainment system according to claim 12 wherein each electronic box comprises a memory for storing graphical data corresponding to the textual data, the graphical data being generated separately from the textual data;

and further comprising a respective graphical display connected to said at least one user processor for displaying the graphical data.

14. An area entertainment system according to claim 9 wherein each electronic box further comprises a respective headphone detection circuit connected to said at least one user processor, and a respective headphone jack connected to each headphone detection circuit for receiving headphones.

15. An area entertainment system according to claim 14 wherein said headphone detection circuit sets a volume of the digital satellite radio signals to a predefined level when the headphones have been detected.

16. An area entertainment system according to claim 5 wherein said headend unit further comprises a public address (PA) circuit connected to said processor for muting the digital satellite radio signals while providing PA audio to said plurality of electronic boxes.

17. An area entertainment system according to claim 16 further comprising a PA audio path between said PA circuit and said plurality of electronic boxes that is separate from said LAN.

18. An area entertainment system according to claim 1 wherein said LAN comprises at least one of a wired LAN, a wireless LAN and a combined wired and wireless LAN.

19. An area entertainment system according to claim 1 wherein the digital satellite radio signals are organized into a plurality of channels;

and wherein each electronic box comprises a memory for storing a plurality of channel maps defining available channels to be selected by each respective user control unit.

20. An area entertainment system comprising:

an antenna for receiving digital satellite radio signals;

an intermediate frequency (IF) down converter connected to said antenna for down converting the digital satellite radio signals; and

a plurality of electronic boxes spaced throughout the area, each electronic box comprising at least one IF tuner in communications with said IF down converter.

21. An area entertainment system according to claim 20 further comprising cabling connecting said IF down converter to said plurality of electronic boxes.

22. An area entertainment system according to claim 21 wherein said cabling comprises at least one of a twisted pair wire, a coaxial cable and a fiber optic cable.

23. An area entertainment system according to claim 20 further comprising a respective user control unit associated with each IF tuner for permitting user control thereof.

24. An area entertainment system according to claim 20 further comprising a video entertainment source for providing video channels to said plurality of electronic boxes;

and wherein each electronic box comprises at least one video tuner.

25. An area entertainment system according to claim 24 further comprising a combiner receiving as input the digital satellite radio signals and the video channels for outputting the same to said cabling.

26. An area entertainment system according to claim 24 wherein each electronic box further comprises at least one auxiliary output for providing the video channels to at least one external display.

27. An area entertainment system according to claim 24 wherein said video entertainment source comprises at least one of a video server and a satellite television (TV) receiver.

28. An area entertainment system according to claim 24 further comprising a respective video display unit (VDU) connected to each video tuner.

29. An area entertainment system according to claim 28 wherein each electronic box further comprises a respective on-screen display unit connected to each video tuner, said on-screen display unit for generating graphics to be displayed on a corresponding VDU.

30. An area entertainment system according to claim 29 further comprising a respective user control unit associated with each IF tuner and with each corresponding video tuner;

each electronic box further comprising a processor for controlling said video tuners, said IF tuners and said on-screen display units therein, said processor also being connected to said respective user control units and VDUs associated therewith.

31. A method for operating an area entertainment (IFE) system comprising a headend unit comprising at least one digital satellite radio receiver, and a plurality of electronic boxes spaced throughout the area, the method comprising:

distributing digital satellite radio signals from the at least one digital satellite radio receiver to the plurality of electronic boxes via a local area network (LAN).

32. A method according to claim 31 wherein the LAN comprises an Ethernet network.

33. A method according to claim 31 wherein the entertainment system further comprises a plurality of user control units connected to the plurality of electronic boxes, each user control unit for permitting user selection of the digital satellite radio signals.

34. A method according to claim 31 wherein the headend unit further comprises a processor for receiving the digital satellite radio signals from the at least one digital satellite radio receiver, and for outputting the digital satellite radio signals to the LAN.

35. A method according to claim 34 wherein the area is divided into a plurality of zones and each electronic box is within a respective zone;

and wherein the headend unit further comprises a switch between the processor and the LAN, the switch including a first input for receiving the digital satellite radio signals from the processor, and a plurality of outputs, each output for outputting the digital satellite radio signals to the electronic boxes within a respective zone.

36. A method according to claim 35 wherein the switch includes a second input;

wherein the headend unit further comprises a video server connected to the second input of the switch for providing video to the LAN via the plurality of outputs; and

wherein each electronic box comprises at least one auxiliary output for providing the video to at least one external display.

37. A method according to claim 35 wherein the switch includes a third input;

wherein the headend unit further comprises a satellite television (TV) receiver connected to the third input of the switch for providing TV programming channels to the LAN via the plurality of outputs.

38. A method according to claim 31 wherein each electronic box comprises:

a network switch including an input connected to the LAN, and a plurality of outputs for outputting the digital satellite radio signals; and

at least one processor connected to the plurality of outputs for decoding the digital satellite radio signals.

39. A method according to claim 38 wherein each electronic box further comprises a network switch control processor connected to the network switch for control thereof.

40. A method according to claim 38 further comprising a respective user control unit connected to the at least one processor for permitting user selection of the digital satellite radio signals to be decoded.

41. A method according to claim 33 wherein the digital satellite radio signals include textual data associated therewith.

42. A method according to claim 41 wherein each electronic box comprises a memory for storing graphical data corresponding to the textual data, the graphical data being generated separately from the textual data;

and further comprising displaying the graphical data using a respective graphical display connected to the at least one processor.

43. A method according to claim 38 wherein each electronic box further comprises a respective headphone detection circuit connected to the at least one processor, and a respective headphone jack connected to each headphone detection circuit for receiving headphones.

44. A method according to claim 43 further comprising using the headphone detection circuit for setting a volume of the digital satellite radio signals to a predefined level when the headphones have been detected.

45. A method according to claim 31 wherein the LAN comprises at least one of a wired LAN, a wireless LAN and a combined wired and wireless LAN.

46. A method for operating an area entertainment (IFE) system comprising an antenna for receiving digital satellite radio signals, and a plurality of electronic boxes spaced throughout the area;

the method comprising;

down converting the digital satellite radio signals to an intermediate frequency (IF) using an IF down converter; and

distributing the digital satellite radio signals to the plurality of electronic boxes, each electronic box comprising at least one IF tuner.

47. A method according to claim 46 wherein the digital satellite radio signals are distributed to the plurality of electronic boxes via a wired connection.

48. A method according to claim 46 wherein the digital satellite radio signals are distributed to the plurality of electronic boxes via a wireless connection.

49. A method according to claim 46 wherein the entertainment system further comprises a respective user control unit associated with each IF tuner for permitting user control thereof.

50. A method according to claim 46 wherein the entertainment system further comprises a video entertainment source for providing video channels to the plurality of electronic boxes;

and wherein each electronic box comprises at least one video tuner.

51. A method according to claim 50 wherein the entertainment system further comprises a combiner receiving as input the digital satellite radio signals and the video channels for outputting the same to said cabling.

52. A method according to claim 50 wherein each electronic box further comprises at least one auxiliary output for providing the video channels to at least one external display.

53. A method according to claim 50 wherein the video entertainment source comprises at least one of a video server and a satellite television (TV) receiver.

54. A method according to claim 50 further comprising a respective video display unit (VDU) connected to each video tuner.

55. A method according to claim 54 wherein each electronic box further comprises a respective on-screen display unit connected to each video tuner, the on-screen display unit for generating graphics to be displayed on a corresponding VDU.

56. A method according to claim 55 wherein the entertainment system further comprises a respective user control unit associated with each IF tuner and with each corresponding video tuner;

each electronic box further comprising a processor for controlling the video tuners, the IF tuners and the on-screen display units therein, the processor also being connected to the respective user control units and VDUs associated therewith.