MESSAGE TRANSMISSION IN ONBOARD AND OFF BOARD AIRCRAFT COMMUNICATIONS NETWORKS

• US 20080102824A1
• Filed: 10/26/2006
• Published: 05/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Kauffman, Donald C.
• Granted Patent: US 7,630,710 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 12/1859 adapted to provide push services, e.g. data channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/123 received data contents, e.g. message integrity

Abstract

A method for transmitting one or more messages over a secure communications network is disclosed. The method involves receiving the one or more messages from a plurality of message sources at a management unit within the secure communications network, the one or more messages protected with information security and authorizing each message for display at a display point. The method further involves transmitting each of the messages to a plurality of communication end points throughout the secure communications network and relaying at least one response through the management unit.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting one or more messages over a secure communications network, the method comprising:

receiving the one or more messages from a plurality of message sources at a management unit within the secure communications network, the one or more messages protected with information security;

authorizing each message for display at a display point;

transmitting each of the messages to a plurality of communication end points throughout the secure communications network; and

relaying at least one response through the management unit.

2. The method of claim 1, and further comprising transmitting the one or more messages through the management unit from one or more of the plurality of communication end points.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein transmitting the one or more messages through the management unit comprises simultaneously transmitting the one or more messages to one or more additional secure communications networks.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the one or more messages from the plurality of message sources comprises:

authenticating each message based on at least one of a voice-activated key phrase and a data-activated keyword; and

routing each message through one or more access points.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein authorizing each message for display at the display point further comprises limiting access to each message at the display point, wherein the display point comprises an existing display responsive to the management unit.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein relaying the at least one response comprises responding to each message from at least one of the display point and one or more of the communication end points.

7. A program product comprising program instructions, embodied on a storage medium, the program instructions operable to cause at least one programmable processor in at least one communications management unit and integrated avionics processing platform hosting the communications management function of an aircraft to:

receive a secure message from one of a plurality of personal communication devices;

limit access to the secure message at a display point in the aircraft flight deck;

transmit the secure message over one or more communications networks within the aircraft and to one or more ground operations units outside the aircraft; and

wherein the at least one communications management unit receives one or more secure responses for selective transmission to the plurality of personal communication devices.

8. The program product of claim 7, wherein the instructions operable to limit access to the secured message further cause the at least one programmable processor to:

generate a message display based on the secure message; and

combine the message display with an existing flight deck display at the display point.

9. The program product of claim 7, wherein the instructions operable to limit access to the message at the display point cause the at least one programmable processor to continue transmission of the secured message in situations where the secure message is not intended for display on the aircraft flight deck.

10. The program product of claim 7, wherein the instructions operable to transmit the secure message cause the at least one programmable processor to respond to the secure message from the aircraft flight deck.

11. An electronic system, the system comprising:

at least one personal communications device that transmits and receives a plurality of messages protected with information security, the at least one personal communications device resident on an aircraft;

one or more access points in communication with the at least one personal communications device;

a communications management unit responsive to the one or more access points;

a display unit in communication with the communications management unit and responsive to the plurality of messages protected with information security in addition to existing aircraft communications processing; and

at least one ground operations unit responsive to a data downlink based on the at least one of the plurality of messages protected with information security originating from the at least one personal communications device.

12. The system of claim 11, and further comprising the messages protected with information security originating from the at least one ground operations unit for receipt by the communications management unit as a data uplink.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one personal communications device is one of a wireless communications device and a voice-activated transceiver.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one personal communications device authenticates each message prior to application of the information security protection.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the at least one personal communications device authenticates each message based on at least one of a voice-activated key phrase and a data-activated keyword.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the one or more access points comprise one or more wireless networking access points within the aircraft.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the communications management unit limits viewing access on the display unit to the plurality of messages as authorized by the at least one personal communications device.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one ground operations unit is further responsive to at least one radio transceiver in communication with the communications management unit.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one ground operations unit transmits the data uplink to a plurality of personal communication devices on multiple aircraft.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one ground operations unit comprises one of a flight operations center, a service provider network hub, an air traffic control center, a law enforcement center, and a homeland security operations center.