Method and apparatus for distributing program material
First Claim
1. A method of distributing a plurality of program signals from respective program sources to an airport terminal in communication with a plurality of aircraft, comprising the steps of:
- collecting said program signals from said respective program sources at a distribution center;
generating at said terminal a program request constituting a plurality of program orders assigned to respective ones of said aircraft, each of said program orders identifying certain of said program signals;
forwarding said program request to said distribution center;
preparing at said distribution center a composite package including said collected program signals and said program request;
transferring said composite package to said terminal; and
distributing said collected program signals in said composite package from said terminal to said aircraft in accordance with said program orders.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A communication system includes a distribution center which collects and processes signals from one or more program sources, and distributes these signals in compressed format to one or more airline terminals, each terminal in communication with one or more parked aircraft. An airline issues a program request identifying certain ones of the program sources, and sends this request to the distribution center where a composite signal is prepared including representations of the program source signals and the program request. The composite signal is transmitted to receiver units at subscriber airline terminals of airports where individual program orders are stored and subsequently distributed to the appropriate aircraft for subsequent in-flight playback of the programs.
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Citations
16 Claims
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1. A method of distributing a plurality of program signals from respective program sources to an airport terminal in communication with a plurality of aircraft, comprising the steps of:
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collecting said program signals from said respective program sources at a distribution center; generating at said terminal a program request constituting a plurality of program orders assigned to respective ones of said aircraft, each of said program orders identifying certain of said program signals; forwarding said program request to said distribution center; preparing at said distribution center a composite package including said collected program signals and said program request; transferring said composite package to said terminal; and distributing said collected program signals in said composite package from said terminal to said aircraft in accordance with said program orders. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A system for distributing program signals from respective program sources to an airline terminal in communication with a plurality of aircraft, comprising:
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receiver means, located at a distribution center, for receiving said program signals from said respective program sources to form a plurality of received program signals; means, located at said terminal, for generating a program request constituting a a plurality of program orders assigned to respective ones of said aircraft, each of said program orders identifying certain of said received program signals; means for forwarding said program request to said distribution center; means, located at said distribution center, for transmitting said received program signals and said program request to said airline terminal; and means for distributing said transmitted program signals from said terminal to said aircraft in accordance with said program orders. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. In a communications system including means for transmitting a control channel and an information channel as a composite spectrum to an airport having one or more airline terminals, each terminal serving non-airborne aircraft;
- receiver means at said airport for receiving said composite spectrum;
a video server at each of said airline terminals comprising;control means coupled to the airport receiver means for decoding the control channel of said composite spectrum into a control signal and a routing signal; detection means responsive to said control signal for recovering from said composite spectrum selected segments of said information channel in accordance with said control signal; storage means for storing the selected segments of said information channels; a memory array having a plurality of storage buffers; transfer means responsive to said control signal for transferring individual ones of said selected information segments to respective ones of said storage buffers in accordance with said control signal; and memory access and distribution means responsive to the routing signals for accessing said storage buffers and distributing the selected information segments stored therein to ones of said aircraft. - View Dependent Claims (15)
- receiver means at said airport for receiving said composite spectrum;
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16. A system for distributing program material to a first storage device located on an aircraft for subsequent inflight playback, said system for distributing program material comprising:
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apparatus for combining time compressed program material into a composite signal in response to a request from said aircraft for program material; a transmitter, coupled to said apparatus and adapted to be coupled to a first communication link, for transmitting said composite signal to an airport on said first communication link; a receiver, adapted to be coupled to said first communication link, for receiving said composite signal; a second storage device, coupled to said receiver, for storing said composite signal; and a second communication link for coupling said composite signal from said second storage device to said first storage device for subsequent inflight playback.
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Specification