Method and apparatus for distributing program material

• US 5,524,272 A
• Filed: 12/22/1993
• Issued: 06/04/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: GTE Wireless Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: GTE Airfone Incorporated (GOGO Incorporated)
• Inventors: Podowski, Robert R., Schneider, Mark S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Harvey, David E.
• Application Number:
  US08/171,945
• Time in Patent Office: 895 Days
• Field of Search: 381/77, 381/79, 381/31, 381/80, 381/81, 381/82, 381/86, 370/50, 370/73, 369/6, 369/7, 369/10, 369/11, 369/13, 369/24, 369/29, 369/30, 369/83, 369/84, 369/85, 348/6, 348/7, 348/8, 455/3.1, 455/3.2, 455/4.1, 455/4.2, 455/6.3, 455/7, 455/12.1, 455/11.1, 455/13.1, 455/18, 455/31.1, 455/32.1, 455/33.1, 455/53.1, 455/54.1, 455/66, 364/400, 364/410, 364/478, 364/479, 340/825.25
• US Class Current: 725/74
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/62 for transportation systems, e.g. in vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17354 in an intermediate station common to a plurality of user terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17363 at or near the user terminal

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.

Claims

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.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 further includes the steps of:

converting said program signals when in analog form into a digital program format; and

compressing said digital program format to create a compressed digital program format.

3. The method as recited in claim 2 wherein the step of preparing said composite package includes the steps of:

creating an index that correlates said program orders with addressing information indicative of a destination aircraft for each of said program orders;

combining said compressed digital program format with data carried by an encoded digital control channel to form a composite digital signal;

said encoded digital control channel including said index.

4. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the transferring step includes the steps of:

modulating said composite digital signal into a satellite-compatible transmission format to create a modulated signal; and

transmitting said modulated signal to said terminal over a satellite link.

5. The method as recited in claim 3 wherein the step of distributing said collected program signals includes the steps of:

decoding said encoded digital control channel into said addressing information;

transmitting said said collected program signals to said aircraft in accordance with said decoded addressing information.

6. The method as recited in claim 5 wherein:

certain of said program sources furnish program signals based on real-time video presentations; and

certain of said program sources furnish program signals from archival video presentations.

7. A system for distributing program signals from respective program sources to an airline terminal in communication with a plurality of aircraft, comprising:

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.

8. The system as recited in claim 7 further comprising:

encoder means, located at said distribution center, for digitally encoding said received program signals to form a plurality of encoded signals, said encoder means being electrically connected between said receiver means and said means for generating said program request;

compression means, located at said distribution center, for compressing said encoded signals to form a plurality of compressed encoded signals;

means, located at said distribution center, for generating a composite signal including said compressed encoded signals and a control channel including said program request; and

modulation means, located at said distribution center, for modulating said composite signal.

9. The system as recited in claim 8 further comprising detection means located at said airline terminal and adapted to receive said composite signal to form a received composite signal;

and

wherein said distributing means further comprises means, located at said airline terminal, for routing said compressed encoded signals embodied in said received composite signal to said aircraft.

10. The system as recited in claim 9 wherein said detection means comprises:

means for demodulating said received composite signal.

11. The system as recited in claim 9 further comprising:

storage means, located at said terminal and coupled to the detection means, for storing said received composite signal; and

a plurality of buffer means located at said terminal and each storing certain of said compressed encoded signals embodied in said received composite signal.

12. The system as recited in claim 11 further comprising:

means, located at said aircraft, for receiving said compressed encoded signals from one of said plurality of buffer means to form a plurality of received compressed encoded signals;

means, located at said aircraft, for decompressing and decoding said received compressed encoded signals into a plurality of analog signals.

means, locate at said aircraft, for modulating said plurality of analog signals to form a plurality of modulated signals; and

means, located at said aircraft, for distributing said modulated signals to individual user terminals throughout said aircraft.

13. The system as recited in claim 7 wherein said program signals include real-time video presentations and archival video presentations.

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.

15. The video server as recited in claim 14 further comprising:

aircraft detection means for receiving a data channel and a control signal channel from said aircraft.

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:

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.