IN-FLIGHT COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM

• US 20070111725A1
• Filed: 11/06/2006
• Published: 05/17/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Anderson, Edward, Kauffman, Donald
• Granted Patent: US 7,466,980 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/431
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 45/0059 by communicating emergency situations to ground control or between crew members
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18506 Communications with or from aircraft, i.e. aeronautical mobile service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/033 of the user plane, e.g. user's traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/06 Airborne or Satellite Networks space-based or airborne stations H04B7/185

Abstract

An in-flight communications system and method suitable for discrete use by, e.g., an Air Marshal, includes a personal digital assistant (PDA) device having wireless communications capabilities, an aircraft cabin wireless local area network (LAN) within which the PDA device can operate, a communications management unit (CMU) associated with the wireless LAN and operable to send and receive data via ACARS, and an operations center operable to receive data that is generated by the PDA, transmitted over the wireless LAN and passed to the operations center via ACARS.

Claims

1. An in-flight communications system, comprising:

an aircraft cabin envelope including a wireless LAN;

a personal digital assistant (PDA) that is in wireless communication with the aircraft cabin envelope;

an ACARS security envelope that is in communication with the wireless LAN via an airborne communications management unit (CMU); and

a ground-based security envelope that is in communication with a ground-based segment of the ACARS security envelope thereby to transmit and to receive information sent between the ground-based security envelope and the personal digital assistant.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless LAN supports a plurality of wireless devices.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the ACARS security envelope comprises a datalink service provider that is linked to the ground based security envelope.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein an authorized user operates within the aircraft cabin security envelope.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the authorized user communicates with an operations center within the ground-based security envelope.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the authorized user communicates with flight deck personnel on the same aircraft.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the authorized user communicates with another Air Marshal on the same aircraft.

2. (canceled)

9. An in-flight communications system, comprising:

a personal digital assistant (PDA) device having wireless communications capabilities;

an aircraft cabin wireless local area network (LAN), the PDA device being operable to be in communication with the wireless LAN;

a communications management unit (CMU) associated with the wireless LAN and operable to send and received data via ACARS; and

an operations center operable to receive data generated by the PDA, transmitted over the wireless LAN and passed to the operations center via ACARS.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the CMU provides PDA generated data to flight deck personnel.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the PDA device is programmed with predetermined screens.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the screens are arranged to have tap and send functionality.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the PDA device is operable to communicate with another PDA device over the wireless LAN.

14-26. -26. (canceled)

27. An in-flight communications system, comprising:

a personal digital assistant (PDA) device having wireless communications capabilities;

an aircraft cabin wireless local area network (LAN), the PDA device being operable to be in communication with the wireless LAN;

a communications module associated with the wireless LAN and operable to send and receive data via an air-to-ground communications system; and

an operations center operable to receive data generated by the PDA, transmitted over the wireless LAN and passed to the operations center via the air-to-ground communications system.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the communications module comprises a communications management unit (CMU).

29. The system of claim 27, wherein the air-to-ground communications system comprises an ACARS.

30. The system of claim 27, wherein the communications module provides PDA generated data to flight deck personnel.

31. The system of claim 27, wherein the PDA device is programmed with predetermined screens.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the screens are arranged to have tap and send functionality.

33. The system of claim 27 wherein the PDA device is operable to communicate with another PDA device over the wireless LAN.