Cabin management and entertainment system

• US 20080104642A1
• Filed: 10/11/2007
• Published: 05/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Avion Engineering Services Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avion Engineering Services Incorporated
• Inventors: Mills, James, Adams, Gregory, Martin, Joseph, Galipeau, Steven, Briski, Rory
• Application Number:
  US11/974,086
• Publication Number:
  US 20080104642A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/76
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/40 using video transcoding, i.e. partial or full decoding of a coded input stream followed by re-encoding of the decoded output stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2146 located in mass transportation means, e.g. aircraft, train or bus flight-deck installations for entertainment or communications B64D11/0015; arrangements specially adapted for transportation systems in broadcast systems H04H20/62; moving wireless networks H04W84/005
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6405 Multicasting data broadcast and multicast in packet switching networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 IP
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/10 Adaptations for transmission by electrical cable H04N7/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/16 Analogue secrecy systems; Analogue subscription systems

Abstract

An aircraft cabin management system that provides passengers and crew with a number of entertainment and productivity enhancing options. Such options include, without limitation, audio, video, control and status of aircraft data systems and electro-mechanical devices. Located proximate to each seat and in various other strategic locations throughout the cabin is a control unit that acts as the primary means of passenger and crew interaction with the cabin management system. Using a multi-cast distribution methodology, over wired or wireless distribution, allows for an unlimited number of clients to have access to each available audio/video program. This allows the system to be fully scalable from a small 4 seat mobile platform to a large 800+ seat mobile platform. While particularly drawn to aircraft, the cabin management system is also applicable to other venues that have identifiable seating locations such as buses, passenger ships, hotels and auditoriums.

Claims

1. ) A data management system for supplying multi-cast data to a plurality of devices comprised of:

(a) one or more data sources,

(b) one or more multi-cast data streamers,

(c) a data network,

(d) a multi-cast receiver at each receiving unit,

(e) a means of selecting which multi-cast data channel is decoded,

(f) a means of converting the digital multi-cast data into a format recognizable to the user

2. ) The data management system in claim 1 wherein the data is audio content.

3. ) The data management system in claim 2 wherein the audio is only broadcast onto a multi-cast stream when a passenger or crewmember selects it.

4. ) The data management system in claim 1 wherein the data is video content.

5. ) The data management system in claim 4 wherein the video is only broadcast onto a multi-cast stream when a passenger or crewmember selects it.

6. ) The data management system in claim 1 wherein the data is aircraft data information.

7. ) The data management system in claim 6 wherein the aircraft data is only broadcast onto a multi-cast stream when a passenger or crewmember selects it.

8. ) A data management system for carrying audio, video, control and status information comprised of:

(a) one or more data sources,

(b) a data switch that also functions as a power supply for connected peripherals,

(c) a data network utilizing power-over-ethernet technologies,

(d) unit-to-unit cabling that is comprised of a single cable comprised of four wires with these four wires carrying both power and data

(d) a receiver at each receiving unit,

(e) a means of selecting which data is desired,

(f) a means of converting the digital data into a format recognizable to the user.

9. ) The data management system in claim 8 wherein the unit-to-unit cabling is comprised of an eight wire cable.