MARITIME COMMUNICATION SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20150296021A1
• Filed: 04/10/2013
• Published: 10/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Marine Soft Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Marine Soft Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Jae In
• Granted Patent: US 10,003,651 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/185 Space-based or airborne stations; Stations for satellite systemsH04B7/204 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location

Abstract

The present invention relates to a maritime communication system and method and provides a maritime communication system and method, the maritime communication system comprising: a plurality of user terminals by which a SNS can be used on the sea, and in which an application for providing content is installed; at least one maritime communication server for providing the SNS and the content for the user terminal on the sea; a land communication server for communicating with the maritime communication server and controlling communication between a user of the maritime communication server and a user located on land or a user of another maritime communication server; a content server for providing the content of the application via the land communication server; and a management server for producing and distributing the application installed in the user terminals or controlling operations of all the servers.

Claims

1. A maritime communication system, comprising:

a plurality of user terminals which can use SNS on the sea, an application being installed on each of the user terminals to provide contents;

at least one maritime communication server which provides the SNS and contents of the user terminals on the sea;

a land communication server which communicates with the maritime communication server through a satellite, thus controlling the communications between a user locating on the land and a user of another maritime communication server;

a content server which provides a control of the application through the land communication server; and

a management server which produces and distribute the application installed on the user terminal or controls the operations of the whole servers.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the user terminal comprises:

a content execution module for executing stored or provided contents;

a terminal satellite communication module for performing a satellite communication;

an inside communication module for performing other wired or wireless communications except for the satellite communication;

an information input module for receiving information from the user; and

an information display module for displaying the information to the user.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein for the user terminal, a smart device which can provide a SNS service is used, the smart device being available for message transmission, photo transmission, email transmission and wired/wireless talk function and receptions of contents.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the maritime communication server comprises:

a maritime satellite communication unit for communicating with the land communication server through the satellite communication;

an inside communication unit for controlling the communications between the user terminals on the ship where the server is installed;

a satellite communication control unit for controlling satellite communications;

a storing unit for storing the information which contains contents; and

a billing unit for billing the user for the use of the server.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the maritime communication server further comprises a neighbor server communication unit for communication with near ships.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the maritime satellite communication unit comprises:

an information coding unit for coding the information, which is provided to the satellite, in compliance with the protocol of the satellite communication;

a decoding unit for decoding the information provided from the satellite;

a communication result judgment unit for judging a result of the satellite communication; and

a satellite information confirmation unit for storing and confirming the satellite information.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the inside communication unit comprises:

a text communication module which allows a SNS type communication between the users of the smart devices on the ship;

a voice communication module which allows a voice dialog; and

a simultaneous broadcasting module which can provide text or voice information to all the users of the smart devices.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the land communication server comprises:

a land satellite communication unit which can perform communication with the maritime communication server through the satellite communication; and

an outside server communication unit which can perform communication with an outside server locating on the land.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the management server comprises:

a communication control unit for controlling communications between the maritime communication server and the land communication server or the land communication server and the outside server;

a content control unit for controlling operations of the content sever;

an environment setting unit for remotely adjusting basic settings of each server;

a user management unit for managing the information of the user who works on the ship; and

a billing management unit for billing each user and at each step.

2. A maritime communication system which is connected to a network and servers on the land and performs a data communication through a satellite communication network, comprising:

at least one satellite communication equipment for connection to the satellite communication network;

at least one user terminal which can be connected to the satellite communication network through the satellite communication equipment; and

at least one satellite connection server which manages and controls satellite connections of the user terminal.

11. The system of claim 2, wherein the satellite connection server comprises:

an inside communication unit for controlling communications between user terminals on the ship where the server is installed;

a satellite connection management unit for controlling the satellite connection states of the user terminal;

an information transmission unit for providing the information provided through the satellite communication equipment to the user terminal or providing the information of the user terminal to the satellite communication network;

a storing unit for storing the information which contains contents;

a billing unit for billing the user for the use of the server; and

a neighbor server communication unit for communication with the near ship.

14. The system of claim 2, wherein the user terminal comprises:

a content execution module for executing stored or provided contents;

a terminal satellite communication module for performing a satellite communication;

an inside communication module for performing other wired or wireless communications except for the satellite communication;

an information input module for receiving information from the user; and

an information display module for displaying the information to the user.

15. The system of claim 2, wherein for the user terminal, a smart device which can provide a SNS service is used, the smart device being available for message transmission, photo transmission, email transmission and wired/wireless talk function and receptions of contents.

12. A maritime communication method, comprising:

a step wherein information is produced and stored on a user terminal;

a step wherein a transmission of the information through a land or maritime communication server is requested;

a step wherein the land or maritime communication server provides information to the opponent server through a satellite communication; and

a step wherein the information is provided to another corresponding user terminal, and

the produced information contains the information of the user terminal of the opponent side which is intended to receive the information, and the maritime communication server confirms if the receiving terminal is the terminal that the maritime communication server manages, and the land server confirms if the receiving terminal is the terminal that a predetermined maritime communication server manages.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the loading of the cyber money is requested on the user terminal, and the management sever locating on the land loads and manages such a procedure, and a corresponding cyber money-related information is stored in the maritime communication server and the cyber money is deducted based on a service request by a maritime user.