GRAPHICAL REPRESENTATION OF IN-FLIGHT MESSAGES

• US 20140253585A1
• Filed: 03/11/2013
• Published: 09/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Judd, Thomas D., Kumar, Rakesh, Pepitone, David, Paul Dominic, Maria John, Mallela, Gurunadha Reddy, Rajadurai, John Azariah, Gohil, Saurabh Harshadbhai
• Granted Patent: US 9,592,921 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/629
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 45/00 Aircraft indicators or protectors not otherwise provided for camouflage F41H3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 23/00 Combined instruments indicating more than one navigational value, e.g. for aircraft; Combined measuring devices for measuring two or more variables of movement, e.g. distance, speed or acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft

Abstract

A graphical in-flight message representation system comprises a sensor configured to measure a characteristic of a flight of an aircraft and a communication device configured to send and receive in-flight messages. An in-flight message is a message communicated during the flight of the aircraft. The system also comprises a display unit configured to display a graphical flight progress indicator and one or more message icons, each of the one or more message icons corresponding to a respective in-flight message. The graphical flight progress indicator is representative of the characteristic of the flight measured by the sensor. Each of the one or more message icons are displayed in location relative to the graphical flight progress indicator based on the measured characteristic of the flight when the respective in-flight message was communicated.

Claims

1. A graphical in-flight message representation system comprising:

a sensor configured to measure a characteristic of a flight of an aircraft;

a communication device configured to send and receive in-flight messages, wherein an in-flight message is a message communicated during the flight of the aircraft; and

a display unit configured to display a graphical flight progress indicator and one or more message icons, each of the one or more message icons corresponding to a respective in-flight message;

wherein the graphical flight progress indicator is representative of the characteristic of the flight measured by the sensor; and

wherein each of the one or more message icons are displayed in location relative to the graphical flight progress indicator based on the measured characteristic of the flight when the respective in-flight message was communicated.

2. The graphical in-flight message representation system of claim 1, wherein the display is further configured to modify a property of at least one of the one or message icons to represent meta-information associated with the respective in-flight message, wherein meta-information is information other than the content of the in-flight message.

3. The graphical in-flight message representation system of claim 2, wherein the meta-information includes at least one of message type, message meaning, response type, message status, message origin, message relationship, dialog type, message priority, response status, uplink indication, or downlink indication.

4. The graphical in-flight message representation system of claim 2, wherein the modified property of the message icon includes at least one of color, shape, size, text, shading, font, font size, border size, or border color.

5. The graphical in-flight message representation system of claim 1, wherein the graphical flight progress indicator and message icons are map layers on a graphical user interface of a map display.

6. The graphical in-flight message representation system of claim 1, wherein the characteristic of the flight of the aircraft includes at least one of altitude, geographic location, or time.

7. The graphical in-flight message representation system of claim 1, wherein the display unit is configured to display a response dialog when one of the one or more message icons is selected, wherein the response dialog for the selected message icon provides a user with options to respond to the in-flight message associated with the selected message icon from within the response dialog.

8. The graphical in-flight message representation system of claim 1, wherein the display unit is configured to display a selectable message filter, wherein the selectable message filter provides options from which a user selects messages to view in message icon form.

19. The program product of claim 1, wherein the program instructions are further configured to cause the at least one programmable processor to output commands to the display unit to display a response dialog, wherein the response dialog is generated for the respective message icon providing a user with options to respond to the respective in-flight message from within the response dialog.

20. The program product of claim 1, wherein the program instructions are further configured to cause the at least one programmable processor to output commands to the display unit to display a selectable message filter, wherein the selectable message filter provides options from which a user selects the type of communications or the type of in-flight messages to view in message icon form.

9. A method of graphically representing in-flight messages, the method comprising:

receiving at least one in-flight message;

overlaying a message icon for each respective in-flight message over a flight progress indicator, wherein the message icon for each respective in-flight message is positioned according to when and/or where the respective in-flight message was received or sent; and

displaying meta-information associated with each respective in-flight message, wherein the meta-information is information about the respective in-flight message other than the content of the respective in-flight message itself.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the meta-information associated with each respective in-flight message is represented as a property of the respective message icon.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the meta-information associated with the in-flight message includes at least one of message type, message meaning, response type, message status, message origin, message relationship, dialog type, message priority, response status, uplink indication, or downlink indication;

and

wherein the property of the respective message icon includes at least one of color, shape, size, text, shading, font, font size, border size, or border color.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising,

opening a response dialog when a message icon is selected;

and

setting a status indicator indicative of whether a response was sent.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising,

opening the at least one in-flight message when indicated by user input via the response dialog or the message icon.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the flight progress indicator represents at least one of altitude of the aircraft, geographic location of the aircraft, or time.

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising,

filtering display of message icons according to options selected in a selectable message filter, wherein a selectable message filter provides a user with options from which a user selects messages to view in message icon form.

16. A program product comprising a processor-readable medium on which program instructions are embodied, wherein the program instructions are configured, when executed by at least one programmable processor, to cause the at least one programmable processor to:

output commands to a display unit to display a graphical flight progress indicator, the flight progress indicator representative of a characteristic of a flight of an aircraft;

analyze an in-flight message to determine when the in-flight message was communicated in relation to the characteristic of the flight of the aircraft; and

output commands to the display unit to display a message icon indicative of the in-flight message, wherein the message icon is overlaid on the flight progress indicator according to when the respective in-flight message was communicated in relation to the characteristic of the flight.

17. The program product of claim 16, wherein the program instructions are further configured to cause the at least one programmable processor to:

output commands to the display unit to modify at least one property of the message icon to represent meta-information associated with the in-flight message, wherein meta-information is information other than the content of the in-flight message itself.

18. The program product of claim 17, wherein the meta-information associated with the in-flight message includes at least one of message type, message priority, message meaning, response type, message status, message origin, message relationship, dialog type, response status, uplink indication, or downlink indication;

and

wherein the modified property includes at least one of color, shape, size, text, shading, font, font size, border size, or border color.